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Captain Jeff 



O R 



Frontier Life in Texas 



-WITH THE- 



TEXAS RANGERS 



Some Unwritten History and Facts in the Thrilling Experiences of 

Frontier Life. - The Battle and Death of Big Foot, the 

Noted Kiowa Chief. —The Mortally Wounding and 

Dying Confession of "Old Jape," the Coman- 

chie, the Most Noted and Bloodthirsty 

Savages that Ever Depredated on 

the Frontier of Texas. 



By One of the Nine 

A Member of Company "E" 

Texas Ratigers. 



1906 

WHIPKEY PRINTING CO. 

Colorado, Xcx. 



r-/ '. 



LIBRARY of GONGRESSJ 
TwoCoDies Received 

JUN 1 1906 

^ Cooyrieht Entrv 
tLASS (i /xxc, No. 

/ */ 7 2. 6 J> 

COPY B. 



-^ 



PREFACE. 



As this narrative records the killing of two "Big Foot" 
Indians it is due to the reader that I give dates of killings, and 
tlie sections of country where their dejjredations took jjlace. 

"Big Foot" first mentioned operated west of San Antonio, 
over the counties of Bexar, Medina, I^o, Uvalde, Nueces, and 
elsewhere, and was killed by Captain William (Big Foot) Wal- 
lace in 1853. His tribe is unknown. 

Big Foot No. 2 was kill<^d by Captain W. J. Maltby, known 
as Captain Jeff, Commander of Company E, Frontier Battalion 
Texas Rangers, in the year of 1874. Big Foot No. 2 depredat- 
ed over the counties of Calahan, Coleman, Brown, Llano, Ma- 
son, Burnett, Lampasas and Hamilton. His lieutenant. Jape, 
or Japy, the Comanchie, was mortally wounded when Big Foot 
was killed, and in his (Jape's) dying confession, said that Big 
Foot No. 2 was a Kiowa Chief, big and brave, and had just 
come from the Fort Sill (U. S. ) Reservation. 




CAPT. W. J. MALTBY (CAPT. JEFF) 

Who Killed "Big Foot," the Notorious Kiowa Chief, 
After Being Nine Years on His Trail. 



CAPTAIN JEFF 



CHAPTER I. 



On February 19th, 1863, two horsemen were goeu winding 
their way carefully tlirough a creek bottom that was completely 
covered with water for a distance of one and a half miles in. 
width, and ever and anon a plunge into swimming water would 
b'^ taken as they came to the depressions, or the .sloughs, that run 
tlirough tie bottom; this was on the road that leads from Pine 
Bluff, Ark,, to Austin, Texas. Gen. John B. Walker's Division of 
Confederate Soldiers had gone in to winter quarters near Pine BlulT. 
The appearance of these horsemen denoted that they were Confed- 
erate officers or soldiers. Let us follow them to where they put 
up that night, and inquire who they are and wliere they are going. 

They put up that night at Farmer Jack McClure's, seventeen 
miles from Gen. Walker's camp. On making the inquiry we find 
that one of them is Captain Jeff, who had been in command of 
Company ''E," Seventeenth Texas Volunteer Infantry, command- 
ed, by P. T. P. Allen; G. W. Jones, Lieut. Col. The other man 
is Lieut. D. Reed, as traveling companion. 

On making further inquiry we find that on February 18th, the 
day before this story commences, that Captain Jeff was regimental 



8 CAPTAIN JEFF, OR 



officer of the day, and on being relieved from duty that evening 
ho went to Dr. Deport Smith's tent — Dr. Smith was the head 
of the medical board. The doctor said to him : "Captain, if you 
are alive in the morning, 1 want you to write out your resigna- 
tion and bring it to me, and I will put a certificate to it that will 
take you out of this service at once. There is but one thing that 
may prolong 3'our life for an indefinite time, and that is the life- 
giving atmosphere of Western Texas;'" to which the captain re- 
plied : "Well, Doctor, 1 have great faith and respect for you as a 
doctor, but I have no fears of dying, being killed or drowning. 
Some wise man said, 'there is a Fate that shapes our ends,' etc. 
and something seems to tell me that I have something to live 
for; it may be something very commonplace; however, I will live to 
perform it. It seems to be in the dim future to me, but that I 
will live to perform whatever it may be, I haven't the least 
doubt." 

As this is the man we are to follow as the hero of this little 
book, it is due the reader to give a short description of his per- 
sonal appearance. He was born in Sangamon County, 111., De- 
cember 17th, 1829; is six feet high, with breast and shoulders of 
a lion, and weights when in good health, two hundred pounds ; 
with light complexion, expressive gray blue eyes, and an unconquer- 
able will or determination. But he is at this time a mere shadow 
of his former physical manhood. 

The second and succeeding days of his and Lieut. Eeed's travelb 
were a repetition of the first, plunging and swimming creeks, bayous 
and sloughs until they crossed the Trinity Eiver some four hundred 
miles from where they started, which almost demonstrates that he 
had something to live for, or he never could have performed this 
journey at this inclement season of the year on horseback, and we 
may say with but little, if any change of apparel. But overcoming 
all obstacles that lay in his path, he accomplished the distance 
of six hundred miles to his home in twenty-five days, where he 
found his true and devoted wife and two sweet children, Jeff and 
Mollie, in the best of health. Here, the writer's pen is inadequate 
to portray the happiness of that little family, so we leave the good 
wife and mother to fix up little dainties and nicknacks to tempt 
the appetite, tone up the stomach and help nature to give back 



FRONTIER LIFE IN TEXAS. 



life and strength to the worn and weary soldier, while little Jeff 
and Mollie climb on his knee, put their arms around his neck 
and exclaim: "Mv ]iapa, my pajja!"" Wliilo we call on Dr. Wilson 
Barton, and ask him to go and lend his medical skill to make that 
little family completely happy, which the good doctor joyously and 
willingly did, and under his skillful treatment, coupled with the 
kind nursing of his wife and the prattle of little Jeff and Mollie. 
our suhject soon regained his health and vigor. 80 on August 
the 9th, 18l)3, he donned his soldier's attire, and presented himself 
for duty to Col. John S. Ford, who was commander of conscripts, 
with headquarters at Austin, Texas. 

During the years of 18G2 and 1863 the Indians had become more 
troublesome than ever before, from its first settlement, and it was 
much feared that they would rob the settlers of all their work-stock 
until there would not be teams left to make bread for the women 
and children. 

As Col. Ford had seen and done as much service on the frontier 
as any man, living or dead, and being personally acquainted with 
Captain Jeff, he recognized the fact at once that in the person 
of Captain Jeff, the opportunity was given him to do valuable 
service on the frontier, in the protection of life and property, .so 
he ordered Captain Jeff to go home and to organize a company 
of conscripts in Burnett County, and to act without any further 
orders. To arrest all deserters and "bushwhackers" and to " kill 

every Indian that puts his foot in the County." Here 

the Captain smiled, and replied : "Well, Colonel, that 'foot' order 
pleases me, for every light moon in this year of '63 our county has 
been raided by a band of Indians and one of their number has 
a remarkably big foot ; it is generally believed by all that have seen 
his tracks that he is a man of powerful physique, and is the chief 
of his tribe, and I long to measure lances with him to decide 
our prowess as soldiers of different nationalities." 

With a smile of approval and a manly shake of the hand, the 
Colonel said : "Co. and Cod be with you and give victory to the 
right." 

The Captain lost no time in going home and organizing the 
company as he was ordered, and none too soon, for three days 



10 CAPTAIN JEFF, OR 



after the organization, Big Foot and his band made a raid into 
Captain Jeff's settlement, and stole most of the best work horses 
and mules, and Big Foot had the audacity to go into the orchards 
and gather fruit so that his tracks could be seen by any one as a 
banter, "catch me if you can." Could his ears have been properly 
opened, a "still small voice" would have whispered to him "Captain 
Jeff lives, and he will live until you have to meet him face to 
face. You may leave misery and desolation in your path, for 
many moons, or even years, but the fates have decreed that he shall 
hunt you down at last, and while your spirit is taking its de- 
parture from this earth, where you have caused so much suffering 
and sorrow, he will be riding at the head of his gallant Eanger boys 
to carry the news that Big Foot's raids are at an end, and that 
he met the reward that was decreed to him by Fate." 

The next morning by early breakfast couriers began to arrive 
at Captain Jeff's with the exciting news that last night Big Foot 
had raided the entire neighborhood and stolen several of the neigh- 
bors' best horses and mules. 

The Captain at once dispatched the couriers in different direc- 
tions to notify his company to rendezvous at a certain point in 
which the Indian trails led off and to bring as much bread as 
they could conveniently carry, and some salt. This was the standing 
order for rations ever afterwards. So by noon of that day, seven- 
teen men were at the appointed spot, and took the traill and pressed 
it with all possible speed through the roughs and breaks of the 
Colorado Eiver and across the San Saba River. 

But as Big Foot and band had good fat, corn-fed horses to change 
upon, they gained rapidly upon their pursurers, and, after four days 
of hard persuit, the word "halt" was given; the trail was abandoned 
and Captain Jeff's cherished hope of a deadly encounter with Big 
Foot was deferred to an indefinite time. 

The dazed and worried expressions of the men's faces for six long 
days as they wended their way back, was distressing indeed, they 
having accomplished nothing but to find out and fully locate the trail 
that Big Foot and band had in the last twelve months driven thir- 
teen droves of liorses across tlie same crossing of the San Saba 
River. After ten days they reached home, horses and men badly 



FRONTIER LIFE IN TEXAS. 11 



jaded, as the men had not eaten anything for the last six days 
hut meat, salt and water. 

Be+'ove the Captain disbanded his men he told them to get 
their horses in as good shape as possible, and lo have everything in 
readiness for the next light moon, for said he: "The next time 
Big Foot raids this county I will beat him to that crossing on the 
San Saba, and there lie in wait and snuff out his light, or die in 
the attempt, God helping me." 

So with sullen and sad countenances they bid each other adieu 
for the time being, not knowing that they were destined to realize 
more such sad experiences before the wily Big Foot, chief of the 
Kiowa tribe, was outgeneraled by his determined adversary, as the 
sequel will prove. 

When the Captain made the vow to his men that the next time 
Big Foot made a raid he would beat him to that crossing on the 
San Saba, or die in the attempt, he did not know how soon he would 
be called upton to fulfil that vow, nor the trying circumstances under 
which it was to be performed. 

As he had a fine stock of horses and the Indians were getting 
more or less of them every light moon, he decided to gather them 
and drive them to Caldwell County below the line of Indian 
raids. So, the last day he gathered horses was on Sunday. He 
rede hard all that day and got home just at sundown, unsaddled 
his horse and staked him out as he had no feed to feed him, and 
got back to the house and ate his supper after which he and hia 
wife walked out and took chairs on the gallery. 

The Captain's first lieutenant, John Owens, rode up to the front 
gate and reported that the Indians had just killed Wafford Johnson 
and family about one mile south of the Captain's house. 

He at once went and brought up his tired horse, threw the saddle 
on and mounted him, without any protest by his brave and noble 
wife at being left alone, and as he rode off she said : "Jeff, go and 
avenge the death of those noble and good people, and may God 
bless you and bring you safe back to me and the children." 

Such was the woman worthy to be the wife of the man that 
was destined to rid the bleeding frontier of the State of Texas 
of the two most barbarous and bloody savages that ever depredated 



12 CAPTAIN JEFF, OR 



upon it, namely : Big Foot, the Kiowa Chief, and Jape, the Co- 
luauclie, his first lieutenant. 

As Captain Jeff and Lieut. Owens rode off from the Captain'? 
house he said: "Now, Lieut. Owens, ou physical abilities will be 
but to the' strain, I have ridden forty miles today, we will be com- 
pelled to ride as much as forty miles tonight to get our company 
rendezvoused in marching order at the spot where the Johnson fam- 
ily were killed. It is ninety miles from there to the noted cross- 
ing of the San Saha Kiver, and you know at the termination of our 
last scout I made a vow that T woidd l^eat the next Indians that 
raided us to that crossing, or die, God helping me. Lieut. Owens. I 
will perform that feat." 

The first house they reached was Alex Barton's. He had onp 
good horse at his house, three other good ones in his field. 

He Quicklv saddled his horse to accompany them in calling the 
company together, remarking as he threw on the saddle: "I will 
ride Kate to-night, and get one of my horses out of the ficKI 
in the morning to ride on the scout. Poor fellow, he did not know 
what the morning held in store for him. 

Captain Jeff, Lieut. Owens and Barton rode all night notifying 
and giving orders for the members of the Company to assemble 
at the point designated, at as early hour as possible, with arms, 
bread and salt. At about four o'clock in the morning as t'sese 
three were returning they h.ad to cross tk.e San (Jabriel eii'ck, uiu: 
bank of which made a part of Barton's fielit fence. 

The crossing on the creek was near the steep l)ank that maile 
a part of Barton's fence, and it was very l)ushy. and jn.-t as they 
reached that ])()int the Captain said, ".Stop l»(iys, tlie Lidians are 
right here." They suddenly halted, looked wildly arouiul, and as 
they did not see nor hear the Indians, they commenced to laugh. 
The Captain remarked : "You need not laugh, the Indians are right 
here, or very near here, for I smell them ; this is not the first 
time I have smelt Indians of a night when they could not be seen, 
and have ])roved it to the men tliat were with me at the time." So 
when daylight dawned and Barton went out into his field to get his 
fresh horse to ride on the scout, the revelations proved that at the 
time our party crossed the creek and Captain Jeff said that he 



FRONTIER LIFE IN TEXAS. 13 



smelt them, they (the Indians) luul Barton's horses rounded up on 
the liigh hank in the field wiiere they caught them. They went 
around and let down the fence and crossed the creek at the same 
crossing that our party had just crossed. On examination of the 
tracks it was plainly evident that Big Foot got Barton's horses. 
One of Barton's horses was a very fine mare, gentle to handle, but 
not broke to ride, and just after crossing the creek where the Captain 
smelt them, one of them tried to ride her and she threw him, 
evidence of which the marks on the ground disclosed ; and they killed 
her then and there to let the luited pale faces know that if they 
could not use her that no one else sliould. 

Had Big Foot been a few minutes later in getting to the cross- 
ing of the creek he would have met his sworn and determined enemy 
but it seems that the time was not full ripe for the final contest, 
so we go forward and chronicle the events just as they transpire. 
The Captain reached his home that morning just at day light and 
found his noble wife preparing his breakfast with the full hope that 
he would be there in due time to take breakfast with her, and rest 
for only a few minutes. The children had not yet awakened, so 
ho softly went to the bed and kissed their sweet and innocent 
faces, sat down and partook of a hearty l»reakfast, put his arms 
around his wife, kissed her, and gently patting her on the shoulder 
told her to be of good cheer, that in due time he would return; 
that he had full faith and hope that "God would protect the right." 
So saying he walked out and mounted his tired horse and urged 
him forward for one more mile to the spot where Wafiord Johnson 
and family fell brutally murdered by Big Foot and his savage band. 
In twenty minutes from the time he left home his horse that 
had carried him seventy or eighty miles in the last twenty-four hours 
carried him to the tragic spot of the evening before. 

When he reached the place but two or three of his men were 
there in his advance. Dismounting, he walked to a pool of blood 
where Johnson had lain in the road. There was Big Foot's tracks 
plainly to l)e seen whc^re he had l»ent over Johnson's body to take oil' 
his pistol belt and scabbord. 

In looking further over the ground, the road ran close by a dense 
dogwod thicket, in which a noise was heard, and on further ex- 
amination of the cause of the noise, it was found that Mrs. John- 



14 CAPTAIN JEFF, OR 

son as she ran her horse close by the thicket, that she threw her 
babv boy of one year old in the thicket, with a mother's never dying 
love to the last, that he might escape discovery by the Indians, and 
be found by some friendly hand that would kindly take care of her 
darling baby boy. The poor little fellow lay where he fell in the 
thicket all night, a prey to the wild beasts of the Jungle, with an 
arrow through his right arm. 

His uncle soon came on the ground, and took the little suf- 
ferer to where he could get nourishment and attention. The cir- 
cumstances of the killing of Johnson are supposed to be these : 

A Mr. Whitehead, lived about a mile from Johnson. On Sunday 
morning Johnson and family, consisting of wife and three children, 
visited Mr. Whitehead where they remained until late in the day 
when they started home horseback. ]\Irs. Johnson rode with her oldest 
girl beind her and her baby boy in her lap ; Johnson rodp another 
horse and carried bis second daughter, a beautiful little girl of four 
summers, in his lap. She was his idolized pet. She and Johnson 
must have been killed when the attack was fir^t made, for when 
found he had his left arm around her, his right arm had been 
used to defend her to the last moment. 

The oldest girl who rode behind Mrs. Johnson, jumped off the 
horse and was not discovered by the Indians, and she ran home, 
which was only some three hundred yards from where the attack 
was made. Mrs. Johnson's hdrse ran some one hundred vards before 
she fell, her body filled with arrows. Eeader, my pen utterly fails to 
portray to you my fellings while I have to chronicle the short de- 
tails of this foul murder that was blacker than hell itself. 

All that we could say Avas : "Go on. Big Foot, your day of retri- 
bution must, shall and will come." 

By the time the sun was one hour high the company, to the 
number of thirty men, had assembled. The Captain selected fifteen 
men with the best horses, and put the other fifteen on the trail and 
told them to follow it for six days, and he offered one hundred dollars 
reward to the man that killed the Indian that carried Wafford 
Johnson's pistol. 

The Captain's horse was completely exhausted for the time being, 
but an old man by the name of Baker offered him his horse, which 



FRONTIER LIFE IN TEXAS, 15 



was a good one, which he thankfully accepted. The change of saddles 
was quickly made, and mounting Mr. Baker's horse, he said to the 
fifteen men he had selected : "All that think they can tide ninety 
miles in the next twenty-six or twenty-eight hours, follow me; for, 
God helping me, I will ride it if I get there alone, and block Big 
Foot's passage across the San Saba Eivcr and kill him if I can, or be 
killed." He led off and all the fifteen followed him. They rode 
steadily forward until noon ; halted, and let their horses crop a 
few mouthsful of grass while they are at hasty lunch. In thirty 
minutes they were again in their saddles, pressing forward, and 
continued to do so until after dark when they came to a ranch 
house where they got a feed of corn for their horses, and while 
the horses were eating the men also ate their supper. Here the rest was 
prolonged for an hour, at the expiration of which time they were 
again in their saddles and pressing forward to the noted Indian 
crossing on the San Saba River. They rode steadily on until the 
new day was breaking when the Captain said "halt"' as they were 
in a nice place to take a rest and let their tired horses rest and eat 
grass for an hour while they ate a lunch themselves. 

At sunrise they were again in their saddles pressing forward, 
and in half an hour they struck the noted Indian trail that led 
through narrow gaps in the mountains to the crossing of the San 
Saba Eiver. The Captain was in the lead when they struck the 
trail. He raised his hat and smilingly said : "Come on, boys !" and 
rode straight forward across the trail, which the men thought was 
a strange proceeding, for they thought Ire would follow the trail. 

He rode steadily forward for one mile, when he halted, and 
when the men all came up he explained to them what they thought 
was strange in him in riding straight across the trail. 

He said : "Boys, when we struck the trail I could hardly keep 
from hollowing, for I saw if Big Foot is aiming to cross the 
San Saba at his regular crossing that we are ahead of him and 
time to spare; and if he is coming on the trail behind us, had we 
taken the trail when he struck our fresh horse tracks ahead of 
him he would have turned his course and crossed somewhere else. 
So it is good luck for us, but puts us under the painful necessity of 
riding several miles further in making a circle several miles further 



16 CAPTAIN JEFF, OR 

around to the crossing." They all agreed that he had taken the 
proper course. 

They i-ode steadily forward making a circle of the crossing and 
reached it in twenty-eight hours from the time of starting, making 
ninety-five miles in twenty eight hours without change of horses or 
a wink of slecj). And now with dispatch every thing was put in 
proper siiape to accomplish what they had ridden so hard for, should 
tli> >'|t|)ortiin!ty pi'csent itself in the coun'ng of l>ig Foot and his hand. 
Tw-i tnen were sent hack to an elevated spot that commanded the 
trail II. r sonu^ distance, and (^iptain Jeflt felt sanguine that he, afler 
another hard effort, had set the traj) that Big Foot would walk into. 

As nothing further could be arranged or perfected, Liuet. Owens 
insisted Iliat Captain Jeff lie down and take a sho>rt sleep, 
for said he: "No man living can stand up longer than you have; 
you have ridden one hundred and sixty- five miles Avithout one wink 
of sleep. An iron will and a nerve of ^teel can not stand any 
more, and Avhen the critical moment does come, we want you at 
jour best; so lay down and sleep just two hours, and I will wake 
you up, and then I will lie down and sleep till you wak? me up." 
Feeling sure that everything was so arranged that should the Indians 
come while he was asleep that they could not escape, he lay down 
and in two minutes he was sound asleep, for the utmost of man's 
endurance had been reached. 

As all the men had been instructed to sleep two hours alter- 
nately, Lieut. Owens let the Captain sleep three hours, when he 
awoke him. And when the Captain had bathed his face with a can- 
teen of pure spring water that had just been brought from a cold 
spring that gushed out of the bluff on the river, he said: "^Lieut., 
I feel very much refreshed, and am in juuch better shape to tackle 
that Big Foot Indian than when 1 got here. At all evenis, 1 wish 
he would put in his appearance and lot us decide the contest that 
must be decided sooner or later, and he is not in sight yet. I want 
you to lie down and sleep until I wake you, for 1 want you to stand 
guard with me tonight a quarter of a mile from camp on the 
trail.'" 

At six o'clock there was no sign of the Indians, and Captain 
Jeff roused up all the men and told them to prepare supper, so they 



FRONTIER LIFE IN TEXAS. 17 



could eat and put out all the fire before dark, which was done. 
And no Indians yet ! Evervthing was properly arranged at the 
crossing and the Captain took Lieut. Owens and went back on the 
trail to a big liveoak tree that stood some three or four feet from 
the trail. They sat down with their backs to the tree where they 
had full view of the trail for some distance. 

About twelve o'clock they saw something coming down the trail, 
and as it came nearer, they saw that it was an old buck (deer). 
('aj)tain Jeff put his hand to his side and slowly drew his big Bowie 
knife and slipped his arm slowly up the tree, and when the big buck 
got just opposite to where he sat, he threw the knife with lightning 
speed and its point went straight to the mark. The buck bounded 
high in the air. and fell on his back dead, with the knife driven to the 
h.Tiidle square through his heart. 

Lieut. Owens remarked: "Captain, that was well done. I think 
Providence sent us that buck, for we arc almost famished for meat, 
and we are not allowed to shoot any for fear of driving off the game 
of which we are in pursuit." They lifted the buck off of the trail, 
extracted the knife from the heart, opened him with it and took out 
his intestines and turned him over so that all the blood would drain 
out. They had brought two Canteens of water with them to use 
through the night. Captain Jeff said : "Lieut., we will use one of 
these to wash our hands for we can afford to be short on water, to 
be long on such meat as this, for we are almost famished for one 
square meal, and tomorrow we will have it. Big Foot or no Big 
Foot," after which conversation they took their respective stations 
at the big tree and sat out their lonely and silent vigil through the 
remainder of the night, and no Indians yet. 

When daylight was fully come they fastened their buck's legs 
together, hunted up a suitable pole which they slipped through 
them and each one took an end of the pole and they bore him into 
csmip in the same manner that Moses' spies brought grapes from the 
Promised Land. When they reached camp there was much wonder 
a.id surprise among the boys as to how such a fine deer could be 
captured without the use of fire arms. Lieut. Owens replied: ""We 
got him as Abraham got the ram for his sacrifice, or in equally 
dK miraculous a manner. It was sent to us as an offering for 



18 CAPTAIN JEFF, OR 



breakfast, and if you all feel like I do, the offering is truly and 
thankfully received." 

As the camp was in good shape, the men rested. The only 
thing necessary to make each of them half horse and half aligator 
was just one more square meal, and that was plainly in sight. 

As Captain Jeff had only slept three hours in the last three 
days and nights, sleep was absolutely necessary before food. He 
therefore turned the command of the company over to Lieut. Owens 
for the next six hours. He placed a rock against a tree for a pillow, 
spread down his saddle blanket for a bed, told the boys that he 
was going to sleep for six hours, and he hoped they would leave 
enough of the buck for him a square meal when he was waked at 
twelve o'clock, whereupon he stretched himself on his downy couch, 
and was in the land of forgetfiilness in two minutes. 

Ah, Sleep ! Sleep, sweet sleep ! What a boon to us mortals ! 
The iron will, the nerve of steel must succumb in the absence of its 
life and health-giving influence ! 



FRONTIER LIFE IN TEXAS. 19 



CHAPTER II. 

While Captain Jeff sleeps to gain strength for any emergency 
that might arise, -and all the rest are put on guard or picket duty 
except two, who are detailed to cook, let lis take a peep into how 
'Jexas Eangers can cook good bread and ;:.'et up a good meal without 
any semblance of a cooking vessel. 

The first our cooks do is to make a good fire out of dry wood, 
and while it is burning down into good coals, they proceeded to 
strip the hide off the buck ; they then wash all the blood off the hide 
and hang it up for a few minutes to dr p. They then spread it down 
and put the flour, salt and soda in sufficient quantities to make 
it light and pliable, they then cut up fine a quantity of the inside 
fat and put in sufficient water and knead it well, using the hide 
as a bread pan. They then get some nice straight sticks three or 
four feet long, the size of a man's thumb, peel off" the bark, sharpen 
one end. They then take some of the dough and wrap it around 
tiie blunt end of the stick for one foot in length or more, and stick 
the sharp end in the ground leaning it the proper angle over the 
tire, so it will cook to a finish, the inside fat that was cut up in 
the flour equally distributed tlie grease all through tlie bread, 
and better bread could not be cooked anywhere or in anyway. They 
cook the meat with the same stick process, only both ends of the 
stick are sharpened and the stick is forced half way through the 
piece of meat and the sharp ends of tbe stick alternately turned 
and stuck in the ground, as the case may require. In this manner 
a savory meal was gotten up, and all the men in turn got a meal 
never to be forgotten. 

They ate and thanked kind Providence that ^sent them the 



20 CAPTAIN JEFF, OR 



fine buck, went and relieved those who stood on guard, and they 
came and did likewise. 

By the time all had been boutifully fed, Captain Jeff had 
slept his six hours, and Lieut. Owens awoke him and poured water 
out of a canteen while he washed and bathed his face and head, 
after which he said : "I am as hungry as a bear," and casting his 
eyes towards the fire he said that his boys in their feast had not 
fdrgotten him, for there on a stick was one full side of ribs of the 
big buck, cooked to a turn and two stickes of as good bread as was 
ever eaten; and one of tlie cooks coming up with a canteen of pure, 
cold spring water. The Captain sat down and did not rise 
until the last rib was picked and the last mouthful of bread was eaten. 
He rose, picked up the canteen and washed it all down with a quart 
of the cold spring water; he then began humming: 

"The Big Foot Indian, with his pretty little squaw. 

He can't feel better than I do now;" 
after which he filled his big pipe, lit it, sat down, leaned back 
against a tree a perfect picture of physical manhood and content- 
ment. After he had finished his pipe, he got up and began to walk 
the camp. Stopping suddenly where some of the men were lounging 
on the grass, he said : "Boys, these things are getting very monot- 
onous to me, and 1 reasonably suppose it is to you, but let us bear 
it with all the patience we can for twenty-four hours more; we may 
yet be rewarded for our perseverance, vigilance and patience."' 

The same routine of duties were kept up until nine o'clock the 
next day, and no Indians 3'et, at which time a man strode into camp 
heavily armed with two army six-shooters and a government musket. 
His appearance caused every man to rise to his feet. His general 
appearance fully denoted that he was a son of "old Erin's green 
Isle." He saluted the party with "Gude morning, gintlemen, and 
is this Captain Giff's camp?" (to which he was answered in the 
affirmative), "and, thin, is the gintleman prisent?" The Captain 
stepped forward and said, "I am the man." "Will, thin, yer honor, 
I have bin sint here to inform ye that the Ingins crost the river 
six miles beyant here two days ago." "Pat are you sure the Indians 
crossed the river six miles above here two days ago?" "I am, sor, 
for don't ye think the domn bludy bugar of a Big Fute chafe was 



FRONTIER LIFE IN TEXAS, 21 

after following me about four miles up the river, and he fired a ball 
at me, and it struck jist firninst me hale; and I didn't have a domn 
thing to defind meself wid but these two large six-shooters and the 
musket," at which the boys set up a laugh that revibrated 
for miles up and down the San Saba river. The Captain joined in 
t'ne laugh with the boys and made a full hand. After the merri- 
ment had somewhat subsided, the Captain said : "Pat, had you been 
armed, you would have 'mixed' it with the chief, wouldn't you?" to 
which Pat replied, "And sure I would, sor." "And what sort of 
arms did you want, Pat?" "I think, sor, the way that_ big chafe 
looked while he was chasing me up the river, that I wanted about 
three Gatlin guns that could shoot 990 times in a minute, sor; 
why, sor, he is the biggest mon ye ever saw, and his fute is two fate 
long." Just at this juncture a bunch of cattle came down the trail. 
The Captain drew his big six-shooter and sbot down a fat yearling, 
and said : "Boys, dress that fellow and barbecue him as soon as you 
can. and we will leave this camp of disappointment just as soon as 
that is done." Pat picked up his gun that had been standing by a 
tree, threw it on his shoulder, and said : "Well, gintlemen, I'll be 
after bidding yous the time of day, and gude luck to yous all." The 
Capt3?n said: "Why, Pat, you ain't a-going to leave before dinner? 
We are going to have a fine barbecued beef for dinner." He replied : 
"Thank ye, sor; I have a lunch wid me, and I'd rather make my 
journey while yous are here than to make it when yous are gone," 
and be walked off. When he reached the river bank the Captain 
called after him : "I say, Pat, you'd better get you one of them 
Gatlin guns, for you don't know when you may meet that Big Foot 
fellow." Pat stopped, faced around, and replied : "And sure you 
are right, yer honor, and I'll be after gettin' me one at me first con- 
venience," He turned and stepped down the bank, and was never 
seen any more, but he had the sympathies of all that knew him in 
his supposed tragic death. 

By two o'clock the meat was well barbecued, and the orders were 
given to pack up, and the homeward march was begun. They rode 
silently and sullenly, with a dazed expression of countenance, for 
they fully realized that the opportunity to meet the big chief in 
deadly conflict was to be deferred to some indefinite time, for by this 
time he and his band were safely housed in his mountain fastness, 



22 CAPTAIN JEFF, OR 



surrounded by his many braves, his many wives and numerous 
papooses. 

They reached home the third day after they broke camp, and 
nothing worthy of note had transpired during their absence, Tliey 
found their families all well, and no report of Indians. The 
next morning Captain Jeff mounted his horse and rode around to 
inquire why his orders had been disobeyed, and why the fifteen men 
that he had put on the trail with orders to folow it six days, 
failed to do so. Their only excuse was, they had no one 
to leave with their wives, who refused to be left alone. j\Iark the 
contrast between those women and tlie wife of our hero on the same 
occasion, when she kissed him good-bye, and said : "Jeff, go and 
avenge the death of those good and noble people." Ha<l other 
wives been possessed of the same spirit, the opportunity was then 
offered to overtake Big Foot and mete out to him the punishment he 
so justly deserved for the base murder of so many defenseless women 
and children. In this instance, in place of Big Foot going out of 
the neighborhood the same direction he went many times before, 
that went to the crossing on the San Saba river, after some ten 
miles he tacked back due south through the cedar brakes of Burnet 
County, went north through Llano County and killed two men that 
were ploughing, and leisurely went on and crossed the San Saba 
river six miles above where Captain Jeff had been lying in wait for 
him twenty-four hours in his advance. 

The disobedience of orders in all probability prolonged the wily 
chief's existence to an indefinite time to commit many more horrible 
crimes on defenseless women and children. 

After this raid Burnet County had immunity from the visits of 
Indians for three light moons, and the constant and daily fear began 
to somewhat subside. At the expiration of this time Captain Jeff 
had retired for the night, when a "Hello !" was heard at his front 
gate. He sprang out of bed, opened the door and inquired, "What is 
wanting?" His caller informed him that the Indians were in, and 
that the settlement would be raided that night. He quickly donned 
his clothes, kissed his wife an affectionate "bye-bye," as if he were 
going to a picnic, went and saddled his horse, and as he rode by the 
gate, she hollered after him : "Jeff, I hope you will catch that big 



FRONTIER LIFE IN TEXAS. 23 



rascal this time." This was the kind of metal that rescued the 
bleeding frontier from the merciless savages and made it a fit abode 
for those that came after them, and they were never honored for 
their hardships, dangers and privations incident thereto. 

We return to follow Captain Jeff after he left his home on this 
occasion. His experience had taught him that it was almost im- 
possible to trail the Indians and overtake them, therefore it was 
necessary to get ahead of them and lie in wait at some noted pass that 
was known to be their passway; so thinking the matter over as he 
rode, he found that nine of his men lived in the direction or partial 
direction of one of the Indians' noted pass-ways. He therefore 
pressed forward to the first and roused him up, and he saddled his 
horse, got his arms and started with him, and they two rode to the 
next house, where the same program was carried out, and so on until 
the nine men were in their saddles and pressing forward to the noted 
Spy Mountain pass, tliirty miles from the Captain's home, which 
they reached by hard riding at six o'clock in the morning. 

They had no provisions with them, only what little cold bread 
that was left at their different homes the evening before and a liiUe 
sack of salt that Captain Jeff always carried in his saddle pocket so 
as to have salt in an emergency, for good beef could be obtained at 
any time or place, with nothing but the trouble to pick out the 
size wanted and kill it, for the Captain's Company held a carte- 
blanche to use beef out of any mark or brand when in pursuit of 
Indians. So, when reaching Spy Mountain, they found that they 
were ahead of the Indians. 

A buch of cattle was grazing near by. The Captain ordered Bill 
D(mivan, who was an expert roper, to rope a fat calf for breakfast, 
for their appetites were whetted to a razor edge, after their hard 
ride through the night. Captain Jeff had ridden fifty or sixty miles 
from ten o'clock at night to six o'clock that morning, the zig-zag 
course taken to collect his men. The calf was soon roped, killed and 
dressed. 

Two men were put on Spy Mountain to watch for the approach 
of the Indians. The horses were tied behind a thicket that hid 
them from view, with their saddles and bridles on, so that they 



24 CAPTAIN JEFF, OR 



could be mounted at a moment's warning. Everything was put in 
perfect readiness to welcome the Indians with hospitable hands to 
bloody graves should they come. 



CHAPTER III. 

As yet no indications from the spies. The Captain told his men 
to cut and broil beef to suit themselves ; he chose for his part a 
half side of ribs. So in less time than it takes to write it, sticks were 
cut and run through pieces of meat. Ranger style, and stuck up 
around the fire that had been built at the start so as to have the 
coals in readiness. The men were not forgotten that were on guard, 
and two big, fine hunks were put up to roast for them. The meat 
was soon cooked to a rare state just to suit the taste of a Texas 
Ranger. All the cold bread was brought forward, which was ample 
foi one meal, and this meal of cold bread and broiled beef was enjoyed 
as much as any meal that was ever eaten at the famous Delmonico 
restaurant in the city of New York. After they had finished their 
meal the spies were kept up alternately evry two hours through the 
entire day until near sundown, the horses standing just as they were 
placed, without feed or drink the entire day, which was really hard 
on the poor, faithful creatures, but the necessity required it, and it 
had to be done. 

Just as the sun was setting the spies discovered a lone horseman 



FRONTIER LIFE IN TEXAS. 25 



coming through the gap in the mountain the Indians were expected 
to come through, which was quickly reported, and ever}' 
man mounted his horse and stood ready to receive the report of tlie 
lone horseman, who soon came up with the speed of a frightened 
deer. It proved to be Eheuben Senterfit, well-known to all our party 
as a fearless rider, and he was mounted on a superb West Texas 
horse that had the wind and sure foot equal to any horse, in. the 
world. He reined up his horse and said : "Boys, I knew you were 
here,^ and -I have ridden for life to be in at the killing. The Indians 
left the trail south of the gap and have gone south of you." At that 
moment he looked in a southwesterly direction, and said : "There 
go the damn rascals now! Boys, look on the top of that bald hill," 
which was a mile or more distant from where they stood. He led, 
with all the others close at his horse's heels, in this race, the most 
headlong and furious riding that the writer has ever witnessed. 

Their speed soon brought them to the top of the hill that they 
saw the Indians go over. Here they halted, and Senterfit's dog struck 
the trail and gave them the direction they had gone. They looked 
and discovered them below the base of the mountain, some half a mile 
distant, or more. They were riding like dare-devils, driving a bunch 
of about forty horses, over ground that didn't look safe to ride over 
in a wallk. 

The plunge down that mountain in pursuit was fearful 
indeed. They reached its base in safety, and on and on, with the 
same headlong speed, over honey-comb rock that did not seem possible 
for horses to be driven over faster than a walk. The Indians saw 
that they were hotly and closely pursued, when one of them cried 
out, "Jeffa ! Jeffa ! Jeffa !" at which time they abandoned the horses 
they were driving and rode for life. That "Jeffa"— "Jefa," "Jefa," 
as they pronounced it — struck double terror to their hearts and, if 
possible, lent power to their exertions for safety. 

But our pursuers of nine men gained steadily upon the nine 
savages, and when there was only a space of forty yards between th(^ 
pursuers and the pursued two shots rang out, and at that instant the 
savages disappeared as if the earth had opened and swallowed them, 
all but two horses that were standing stock still on the spot where 
the pursued had disapepared. 

The writer here wishes to explain the wherefore of this strange 



26 CAPTAIN JEFF, OR 



occurrence. Just as the two shots range out from Captain Jeff's 
party the Indians' horses had reached the very brink of a perpen- 
dicular bank of a deep ravine, whose banks were all of ten feet high 
or deep; its bottom was covered with a dense growth of small native 
timber, and its real presence would not be discovered until you were 
on iis very brink, particularly if you were riding fast and going di- 
rectly to it. 

The two shots fired as mentioned may have lent an additional 
itTipetus to both the Indians and their horses in making such a head- 
long leap ; be that as it may, the leap was successfully made, and 
just at that propitious moment for the Indians, the darkness of night 
spread her black mantle over tlie scene and heavy rain commenced 
pouring down. 

The writer hefre wishes to ask, "Was this occurrence, and many 
more similar to it, yet to be recorded in this little narrative of facts. 
(\es, positive facts, that are recorded just as they occurred) providen- 
tial ?" Truly, I ask, "Were the Indians on this occasion protected by 
a special Providence, and many similar occasions, as the further pe- 
rusal of this narrative will show?" 

When the pursuers reached the bank of the canyon where the two 
horses stood, they could plainly hear Big Foot giving orders to his 
men in a loud, clear, Indian voice. It would have been poor gener- 
alship under the adverse circimistances to have climbed down that 
bluff, AA'here all would have been killed without ever having s^een 
an Indian. They would have picked off each man as he climbed down 
a tree, as there was no other way of descent except to jump down, 
which last method might have caused some broken or badly strained 
legs ; there was nothing else to do but make virtue out of pressing 
necessity to provide for the famished and jaded horses, only to draw 
off' to a safe distance from the Indians' arms and to camp for the 
night. 

A beautiful little rivulet wound its way into the main canyon, 
up which he went some fourth of a mile, where he found good grass 
and water for his famished horses. Here they were unsaddled and 
picketed out, and five men, the Captain as one, formed a circle or . 
cordon around the horses, and the other four men spread down their 
saddle blankets on the wet ground with their saddles for a pillow. 



FRONTIER LIFE IN TEXAS. 27 

They were so fatigued that they were soon asleep and dreaming pleas 
ant dreams in place of the exciting scenes that had just been passed 
through. 

At one o'clock the sleepers were roused up, and took tlie places of 
the Captain and his guard, who in turn took theiir places on the 
pallets and were fast asleep in two minutes, which sleep was abso- 
hitely necessary for the trials that lay before them for the morrow. 
At daylight all were up, saddled their horses and rode to where the 
Indians made the leap, and the two poor horses that they could not 
force over the bluff had not moved off more than fifty yards. They 
were literally whipped (some parts of them) almost to a jelly. Here 
the Captain led his men down the canyon some hundred yards to 
where the bluff terminated and where there was a crossing, and here 
they struck the Indians' trail. After following it some three hun- 
dred yards, it passed a man's house by the name of Allen, who was 
coming towards them. When he got close enough to speak, he said, 
"Boys, what's up?" The reply was: "We are after Indians. We 
ran them into that deep canyon last night ; didn't you hear two shots 
just as it commenced to rain?" He replied: "Yes, I was right here, 
and hobbled out two good horses just as the shots were fired." In look- 
ing around a little, they picked up a nice rawhide lariat, and there, 
plain to be seen, was Big Foot's track in the sand, where he had roped 
Allen's horses. Here let us recount the luck, the Providence, or the 
what not, that befell these Indians in the last twelve hours. 

First, they went around the pass that they had always gone 
through, where Captain Jeff had them surely bagged if they had 
gone through. Second, when they were run down and overtaken, wo 
may say that the earth opened to protect them and the horses, all but 
the two that they could not force into the chasm, and they were 
worthless to them, as they were completely run down. Third, that 
in going six hundred yards from where two of them had to turn 
a somersault over their honses' heads down into the deep canyon, 
two good horses were hobbled out and in waiting for them. 
There was no management or generalship in these transactions. 
Reader, 3'ou are at liberty to call it what you please. 

"The prospects to overtake these Indians, when freshly mounted, 
is slim," Captain Jeff 'remarked, as he was hesitating what to do. 
The Captain's horses were badly jaded after the hard run putting the 



28 CAPTAIN JEFF, OR 



Indians into the deep canyon, and had thrown every shoe in the 

>i\-niile nm over the honey-comb rocks. 

After a moment's hesitation, the Captain said : "Boys, the pros- 
pect to overtake Big Foot on these horses is gloomy indeed. We have 
no sl^.ow whatever to get fresh ones, but I am loth to abandon his 
trail without one more desperate and determined effort to bring him 
to Ijay where he must fight for his liberty instead of running for it. 
Some small voice seems to speak to me every time that 1 havf 
run him, that his good luck will forsake him and fall on me, and 
that I will be the victor, and this may l)e the day. If you will fol- 
low me, we will urge our horses to their utmost in trying to over- 
take him." The unanimous reply from the eight men was : "Captain 
Jeff, we will follow you to the end of the world to kill that big brute,'' 
to which the Captain said: "He has eight men, and he makes nine: 
you are eight, and T make nine ; so our numbers are equal, and should 
we overtake them, each one of you single out your man. Eemember, 
this time for all, that I claim the honor to be his special antagonist 
until one of us fall." 

The Captain turned his horse to the trail, and the rest followed, 
and the race for the day began. They had followed the trail about 
four miles, when they came to a fine horse belonging to an old man 
by the name of Wolf, one of the Captain's remote neighbors, but neai 
neighbor to some of his men. Here they found Big Foot's track-^ 
again where he had lassoed another fine horse that seemed to bavt^ 
been placed directly on the route, and just at the spot that ohl man 
Wolf's horse gave out. Our wily chief had made four lucky hits in 
the last few hours, which, no doubt, inspired a greater confidence in 
his braves and led them to believe that he was a particular favorite 
of the Great Spirit, and that he could lead or bring them out of all 
difficulties that they might encounter while making war on the pale- 
faces. This last piece of good luck for tlie Indians added an addi- 
tional gloom to the already gloomy prospects of overtaking them that 
day, but they were determined to follow until their horses gave out. 
The trail was fresh until about noon, when they came to where the 
Indians had killed a big mooly cow and had taken most of her meat, 
and her paunch to carry water in. Here was a thick grove of trees, 
a nice place to secrete themselves. They tied their horses to the 



FRONTIER LIFE IN TEXAS. 29 



trees, so that they could be mounted at a moment's warning, and lay 
down in the grass and slept; their beds were all plainly to be seen 
very near their horses. 

The calf of the cow which the Indians had killed was standing 
near by; it was fine and fat, and as the Captain's party had not 
tasted food since the day before, the cravings of hunger demanded 
that they should stop, kill that calf and eat it, while their horses 
rested and grazed for a short time, if the trail was to be pursued any 
further. They at once lassoed the calf and carried out the program 
of resting and eating, which was fully carried out for two hours from 
the time they stopped, which was all the time they could take from 
the trail if it was to be pursued any further. 

After this the horses were saddled and the unanimous voice was 
to follow, as there was one chance in a thousand that the Indians had 
taken so much meat that should a favorable spot present itself they 
would stop and barbecue the beef. 

They pressed forward all the evening thmugli breaks, canyons and 
bluffs of the. Colorado river with the hope of soon coming in sight 
of the smoke of the Indians' fire. At sundown they found that thev 
were compelled to camp for the night, as their horses could go no 
further, and on making a very careful examination of the locality it 
was found to be a spot that looked like it was formed by nature 
for a camping place for this very occasion. It looked as much 
like a providential arrangement around us as one of Big Foot's esca- 
pades, and as he had not taken the advantage of camping in this 
strategic spot all hope of overtaking him with these completely broken- 
down horses fled. Here was plenty of grass and water, and the place 
so walled in by natural fortifications that two men could hold it 
indefinitely against fifty Indians. 

The horses were all turned foot-loose, two men on guard, one at 
the inlet and one at the outlet ; all the rest lay down at once to sleep. 
Tl ey had eaten but one meal in twenty-four hours, but they were 
more sleepy than hunghy. The two men on guard changed guards 
alternately every two hours; and all therefore got a good night's sleep 
and rest. 

At daylightall were up and ready for any emergency that might 
arise. At this time the most pressing emergency that forcibly pre- 



30 CAPTAIN JEFF, OR 



sented itself was to appease the cravings of hunger that were loudly 
knocking and craving to be gratified. 

There was but one door open for such gratification, which was 
the usual one — to kill a beef and make a meal of beef, salt and water, 
which was partaken of without a murmur for something better. After 
the meal was concluded preparations were made to take the back track, 
but 071 examination it was found that the horses' were so footsore 
they could not travel. The Captain ordered the men to cup up the 
beef hide and make a kind of a rawhide moccasin and tie the same 
around the fetlock so as to come under the bottoms of their feet, 
which was done, and they rested all that day at Camp Provdence, or 
Camp Good Luck. 

Nothing worthy of note transpired that day or night. The fol- 
lowing morning they got up their horses and saddled them and 
started for home. It was then found that most of the horses' feet 
were so sore that the men had to walk and drive them to get them 
home, which journey was accomplished in five da3'S without any in- 
cident worrthy of record, only the worry and fatigue of walking and 
driving the worn-out horses that distance. 

At home they found all well, and no report of Indians during their 
absence. They went to work with a will as best they could to be in 
rcadinc'^s for the next raid, which Mas as sure as fate to come, since 
it was only a matter of time. 

For many moons the Indians gave Burnet County a wide berth, 
for they had found that Burnet County was too hot for them ; that 
they would surely have to "run the gauntlet'' if they made tracks 
in that county. Big Foot changed his location to depredate upon. 

The next raid he made was on the west line of Burnet County and 
east line of Llano County. lie killed ]\Irs. Blalock and four of her 
cliildren, which 'report Captain Jeff did not get for several days, when 
it was too late to follow. On this raid Big Foot, in addition to kill- 
ing the Blalock family, stole and got away with forty or fiftv good 
horses. 

The next raid was still further west, through Mason County, 
where they killed Tom Miligan, a worthy citizen, and father of a 
large family. They shot him full of arrows within fifty yards of his 
own house. They then went on and captured Miss Todd, who was 



FRONTIER LIFE IN TEXAS. 31 



going to one of the neighbor's on horseback. They got away with 
twenty-five or thirty good horses and carried Miss Todd into a cap- 
tivity a thousand times worse than honorable death. 

At the time the Indians made this raid Captain Jeff had been 
ordered by Colonel Ford to meet him with his company on the Col- 
orado river fifty miles above Austin city for the breaking up of some 
bands of bushwhackers and deserters. The country here along this 
river is very rough and abounds in many caves that were found to 
be full of the above class of men. and as some of them fought to des- 
peration they necessarily had to be killed (mention of which will be 
made before this recital is closed). 

Many prisoners were taken, whom Colonel Ford took to the city 
of xAustin and placed in confinement, and then he ordered Captain 
Jeff and company back home. 

Shortly after this the Civil War ended, and Captain Jeff' and com- 
pany were disbanded, as all other men that had been in any way 
connected with the Civil War. The State of Texas was then put 
under military rule, and E. J. Davis was appointed Military Governor, 
who proved to be a perfect tyrant, and the citizens were subjected to 
many insults and hardships under his tyrannical rule. Federal sol- 
diers were sent into Burnet County to arrest Professor Holland, 
Captain Jeff and fifty-eight others who had been conspicuous in hunt- 
ing down the Indians, bushwhackers and deserters, and Captain 
Jeff came in for a full share of the persecution that was meted 
out to the good citizens of Burnet County. Here the Federal soldiers 
hunted Captain Jeff' like a wolf, and he was compelled to take to 
the brush and make that his home for months. Here the devotion 
and bravery of his noble wife shone forth with the brilliancy of the 
morning star. 

During this distressing time she had all the burdens to carry that 
were necessary to keep up their home — wood to get, cows to milk, 
stock to atend to, and, the hardest burden of all, every other day she 
had to leave her two little children alone, mount her faithful pony, 
take some circuitous route to some big thicket with something for 
her Jeff to eat. Oh, this was the most trying time to those good 
people that they had to encounter during the almost five years since 
the commencement of the Civil War. One day she took her two chil- 



32 CAPTAIN JEFF, OR 



drcn and went to her brother-in-law's, as was agreed upon by her and 
Jeff, where he was to be in some big thickets that were near Allen's 
house, and here he says he was the worst scared that he ever was in 
his life. HiC was sitting in a thicket; his horse was near him saddled 
and bridled for use at any moment. He looked towards Allen's 
house and saw fifteen Indians riding directly towards the same. He 
said : "Oh, my God ! What shall I do? Oh, my noble wife and chil- 
dren !'' But his mind was made up in a moment. He sprang on his 
horse, drew his six-shooter, and said, "Go, Mansfield! (his horse's 
name) Go, and I will die with them!" He dashed madly forward, 
and just before they reached the gate they looked back and saw him 
coming like a hurricane, pistol held high in the air. They shouted 
at the tops of their voices, "Toncawa ! Toncawa !" 

A mountain of intense anxiety was lifted off his breast; the Ton- 
cawas had come into the neighborhood the day before, but Captain 
Jeff' had not heard it, and when he saw the Indians, he readily thought 
that they were Big Foot and his band going to Allen's house to mur- 
der its inmates. 

Reader, I feel that you will join me in thanks to God that this 
cloud had its silver lining. The Toncawas had a white man to go 
around as guide to beg watermelons ; Mrs. Allen gave them permission 
to go into the watermelon patch and they ate every one, ri]ie or 
green, that was as big as a man's fist. When it was all cleaned up, 
they mounted their horses and rode oft' to hunt another patch. Cap- 
tain Jeff remained at or near Allen's house all that day and night. 
When his wife was fixing to start home next morning, he said : 
"Mollie," (tliat was bis wife's name) "I am going home with 
you." She tried to dissuade him. Imt be said: "I can't miss this 
pleasure to ride home with you and the children ; the Yankee soldiers 
don't have horses that can catch Mansfield" (patting his noble horse 
on the neck). They rode home together, and the scene that met 
their eyes when they reached home almost beggars description. The 
doors were all broken open ; the beds turned over, trunks broken open 
and their contents turned out on the floor. The house had been 
literally ransacked from cellar to garret. His Sharp's rifle, his dou- 
ble barrel shot-gun, a fine pistol, his wife's fine silver-mounted bridle 
that cost $23.00, and other things too numerous to mention, were all 
gone. 



FRONTIER LIFE IN TEXAS. 33 



Front gate was open, all tlie milk vessels left sitting outside where 
they drank the milk, smokehouse door open and a big steer inside 
of it, and this long after General Lee's surrender. 

Reader, how do you think you would have felt if you had been 
in Captain Jeff's slioes, with liis pent-up feelings of disgust for a 
government that allowed its solrliers to commit such low down petty 
larcency? Captain said: "Mollie, I feel that Providence has been 
with us this time." She replied : "Well, this don't look like it, does 
it?"' "To the casual eye it does not, but to the spiritual eye it does," 
said he. She said a little sarcastically, "Oh, Jeff, what do you mean, 
what are you talking about?" "Let me explain," said he, "how 
T see it with the spiritual eye, as some may term it; you see that 
day before 3^esterday when I came home for a few moments and asked 
you to get your pony, take the children and go over to Mat Allen's 
and stay until this morning, so T could be near you, and we could 
have the pleasure of each other's company, it relieved you for that 
time of the worry and fear you bave l^ad for months.." 

1st. Looking back with the spiritual eye, I see or hear some small 
voice say: "Jeff, go tell your wife to take the children and go over 
to Mat Allen's." 

2nd. I see that had I not done so, you would have been here and 
subject to all the insults of a degraded company of Yankee soldiers. 

3rd. I see that in all probability that you would have killed 
some of them, and if so they would have you a prisoner under guard 
at the city of Austin, where, with all your fortitude and courage, you 
would have pined away and died with anxiety for me and the children. 

4th. I see that we are both here with the children ; all well, that 
our roof is over our heads, and that we can get along very 
well even with our losses, and I accept our absence from 
home at this time as a providential thing in our behalf." After he 
closed this speech, she raised her eyes to his and said : "Jeff, I didn't 
know that you was such an exhorter only in love affairs. I suggest 
that when you get out of all these troubles and run down Big Foot 
that you turn preacher; all the women will join your church." 

After this little seemingly bit of sarcasm she said : "There are 
two sides to every question, and since you have argued your side I 
am more willing to be convinced ; therefore I humbly bow my head 

:3 



34 CAPTAIN JEFF, OR 



to the Giver of all good, that I was not here when they were, and 
when I wanted to say something ugly about them your little lecture 
on the spiritual eye has driven all the hard words from my tongue, 
and each moment I am more and more thankful that I was not at 
homo. You gave mc a nice double barrel shot-gun when we were 
first married, and you learned me to shoot with it, and in your ab- 
sence I leaned on it for a protector. 1 have always kept it well loaded 
with buck shot for big game like man, and 1 fully believe had I been 
at the house and ordered those Yankee soldiers not to come into it, 
and they had attempted to do so, that I should have shot and 
killed some of them, and you correctly drew the picture, that I 
now would be a prisoner under guard and guarded by those same 
dcspoilers of our home, and oh, God ! the agonizing thought of being 
torn from our children, and placed under guard and subject to the 
daily insults of, I must say brutes in men's clothing! Oh, hor-. 
rible ! horrible ! With bowed head and humbleness of spirit I join 
you in returning thanks to God for overshadowing us by His provi- 
dence and shielding us from bodily harm through all the trying 
scenes of tiie last five years. 

When the soldiers broke open Captain Jefi^'s house tbev had four of 
the l)est men of Burnet County as prisoners. They had them chained 
and locked to tbeir horses' necks. They were over military age, but 
were particular friends and associates of Captain Jeff, and they wanted 
to fix him the same way, for he was reported to them as being the 
ring leader, and was reported to General Oaks by some of his neigh- 
bors that claimed to be Union men, as a murderer and robber, conse- 
quently every effort was made to capture him, but kind fate kept 
him out of their clutches until such time as his protecting voice told 
him to go and surrender. As the Yankee soldiers had gone on to 
Austin, Captain Jeff decided that he would stay around home until 
ho heard that the soldiers had come back to Burnet County. His 
house was a double house, gallery in front, ten foot hall between, two 
shed rooms back. He fixed one of the shed rooms for his horse and 
kept him in it all the time with the saddle on, and the bridle hanging 
on the horn of the saddle so that he could mount him and be gone 
io a few moments. 

So the days came and went for some ten or twelve. When he 



FRONTIER LIFE IN TEXAS, 35 



had eaten his supper and had slept out in the hall one of his neigh- 
bor's boys ran by his gate on his horse, and as he passed the gate he 
said: " Captain Jeff, the Yankee soldiers are coining after you; they 
are riglit up there by your field." The bridle was slipped on and the 
Captain was in his saddle just as quickly as such a performance could 
l)e done. As he rode off he said : "Mollie, don't be scared; I will go 
and meet them, and get them after me and will then lead them off 
and prevent them from coming to the house to worry you." He dashed 
out through the field in the direction they were coming, and when he 
got opposite them, he hollowed and said: "Here I am; come and get 
me, you ." 

Two of them dismounted, threw down the fence and they all 
dashed over after him, which was the very thing he wanted, as he 
had every confidence in the fleetness of liis sure-footed horse Mans- 
field. He led them to the opposite side of the field, and Mansfield 
leaped the fence without halt or hobble and was gone from his pur- 
suers. After leaping the fence he turned to one side, halted and 
remained still until they passed him ; he then fell in behind them and 
dodged them until they struck tl e main road leading to Burnet and 
they took the road, which satisfied him that they were going on to 
Iturnet that night. 

He turned his horse and rode back home. After feeding his 
horse and resting a while he said: "Mollie, I have stood this perse 
eution as long as I can ; I am going to Austin and give myself up 
t:) General Oaks, and ask him to give me justice." She replied: "It 
is so hard, so hard for me to see yon go, but it is no worse than for 
you to stay here; they will hunt you like a wolf till they do get yon, 
ard t^ en chain you on a horse a'd take you to Austin and throw yow 
into a dungeon as they did Dr. Moore, John Moore, Sam Tate and 
Captain Dorbant. Taking it all in all, it will he better for you to 
go and give yourself up than to be arrested by these low down thieves 
tliat have just been liberated out of the penitentiaries." He said: 
"Then I will start at once, ride all night, get. into Austin early in 
the morning, and go at once to General Oaks and surrender myself 
to him. Be of good cheer, for I feel that I will be safe back home 
in a few days, in better shape to stay at home than I have been in 
several months." 



36 CAPTAIN JEFF, OR 



He at once mounted his horse, and turned his head towards Aus- 
tin. Six miles from his home on the road to Austin was the little 
burg Liberty Hill. The postmaster, Wilson Bratton by name, was 
a Northern man, and a man of influence, and was a particular friend 
of Captain Jeff. He hollowed up Bratton as he was passing and 
told him where he was going. He said : "Captain, go back and give 
yourself up to the officer at Burnet, and if he puts you under guard, 
I solemnly pledge you my word of honor that I will never eat, drink 
or sleep until I release you." "Then I will turn back; it is only 
twenty miles from here to Burnet; it is now twelve o'clock; I will 
take through the woods and by six o'clock in the morning I will ride 
into the soldier camp and give myself up to the officer in command." 
The Captain then said : "Bratton, 'a friend in need is a friend in- 
deed,' and I here pledge to you my true friendship until death." 
He heartily shook his hand, and turned his horse through the woods 
for the soldiers' camp. 

Wilson Bratton was a perfect gentleman, a friend of true men 
and a merciless foe of frauds ; a man whose nobility of soul and mind 
deserves a monument, but whose name and good deeds have been for- 
gotten, except by those who knew him ami benefited by his generosity. 

At six o'clock he rode in and recognizing the officer by his uniform, 
hf rode directly up to him and introduced himself to him and said : 
"I expect you have heard a great many bad things about me." The 
officer replied : "Yes, 1 have." The Captain then said : "I can't truth 
fully be charged with but one thing, and that is being a Rebel, and I 
hiive been that to the backbone and I have come into your camp to 
surrender to you, and all I ask is to get justice." The officer raised 
his eyes to the Captain's and in a manly voice replied : "You shall 
have it." Then Captain Jeff' said : "1 will get down off my horse 
and consider myself your prisoner." After dismounting he said: 
"Do you want me to go under guard?" He said: "No, the limits of 
the camp are yours, but do not attempt to leave it." "1 certainly 
will not without your permission." He then said: "Then 1 am your 
friend." After breakfast he issued an order ordering every man in 
Burnet County to come in and report to him, after which he called 
his jury of twelve men, all neighbors of Captain Jeff, and during 
the war they spoke the praises of Captain Jeff on all public occasions 



FRONTIER LIFE IN TEXAS. 37 



and applauded him for the valuable services that he rendered to the 
frontier after the war was over, and General Oaks was established 
Military Dictator with headquarters at Austin. See the wolves that 
had been wearing sheep's clothing, carrying reports to General Oaks 
that was blacker and more damnable than hell itself, if possible. 

These were the men that were selected to sit as jurymen during 
the examination and cross examination. 

Right here the passage of scripture was proven that sayeth 
a man will stick closer to a friend than he will to a brother, in 
the devotion of Dr. W. E. Jennings to Captain Jeff, and fully 
illustrated the love of Jonathan for David as recorded in 1st 
Samuel, 19th and 20th chapters. 

The camp was at a country school house; a sentinel was placed 
before the door ; the jury was called in and the rigid examination and 
cross-examination of Captain Jeff begun. 

The ofhcer had been selected by General Oaks for his fitness as 
a lawyer and rapid penman, to go to Burnet and get the truth, the 
whole truth, and nothing but the truth in regard to the many horrible 
murders that had been committed in Burnet County during the war 
and had been reported at headquarters by good loyal Union men. The 
examination lasted three days; the questions all written down and 
their answers. At the end of the third day the officer had exhausted 
all iiis abilities and had not got one solitary criminating fact. He 
closed iiis examination and said to his jurymen: "Gentlemen, I am 
done ; I am satisfied ; any or all of you are at liberty to ask Captain 
Jeff any questions you may wish." 

Each one got up and said : "I have none," and stepped out with 
his tail down like a sheep-killing dog, and all the rest followed but 
one old long-faced hypocritical Baptist preacher, who said : "I will ask 
one question : do you believe in future punishments and rewards ?" 
"I do, to some extent," answered I; "I accept Dr. Dick's definition 
of such things," and he said, "and who is Dr. Dick?" The reply was: 
"He is the most eminent theologian of the day, and all ministers of 
the gospel of any note quote him in their sermons." He got up and 
went out with his head and tail both down, which left Captain Jef! 
and the officer alone, and he was so nonplused that he did not speak 
for some time. Finally, Captain Jeff said : "I want your orders, 



CAPTAIN JEFF, OR 



sir," to which he said, "1 don't know what to do; there have been so 
many hard reports to General Oaks against you that he sent me here 
to arrest you and some others, and to leave no leaf unturned to prove 
your guilt. If it was left to me, I would do as Christ did when the 
hy]")ocrites brought the woman to Him to be rebuked. He said to 
them : 'He that is guiltless let him cast the first stone,' and they all 
sneaked off just as your accusers have done this evening." "When I 
gave them the opportunity to question you there was not one of them 
tliat had the courage to ask you a question but that old hypocritical 
preacher, and the question he asked had nothing whatever to do with 
your guilt or innocence." He finally said, "I suppose I will have to 
require you to give bond." "Draw up the bond and I will fill it." 

The bond was drawn in the sum of one thousand dollars, if called 
for in thirty days; if not, then it was null and void. The bond was 
filled at once, Emanuel tSampson as surety, and our Captain Jeff was 
told that he could go in peace. 

At six o'clock he moimted Mansfield ; it was twelve miles to his 
home, but at seven o'clock he was siting in his home, his noble wife 
on one knee and his two lovely children on the other, again the hap- 
piest little family on the frontier of Texas. 

The days came and went, and when the clock struck six on the 
evening of the thirtieth day and no call had been made for him, he 
walked up to his wife, threw his arms around her, pressed her to his 
heart with a fervent "thank God, my Mbllie, we are free once more!" 
He had lost six years in defence of his country, his home and his 
fireside; his good stock of horses had been driven off by Big Foot 
and liis band ; his cattle was all gone but two cows, and summing 
everything up he found that he had to commence again almost at the 
bdttom round of tlie ladder, but he had his noble wife and two lovelv 
cliildren, bis good health and a determination to overcome every 
obstacle that might lie in his path. 

He made rails, opened up more land, and as he was a good car- 
penter, all the neighbors that wanted work of that kind gave him 
the contracts in preference to any other, and gave him more than 
they could have got the same work done for, as they were sure of an 
nud as cattle M-ere very low in price, he soon had a nice bunch of 
honest jol). As fast as he worked out money he invested it in cattle. 



FRONTIER LIFE IN TEXAS. 39 

cattle, and added to this all the men in the adjoining counties gave 
him full authority to use their cattle as he pleased. This enabled 
him to make contracts to put up herds of cattle for sale, and as his 
business rapidly increased he took a partner, G. C. i.\rnett, who liad 
been in his company in the late war. 

. They drove beeves to Now Orleans, and to tiie packeries at Cal- 
vert, Texas, and stock cattle to Kansas, and steadily invested their 
profits in the purchase of entire stocks of cattle, marks and brands. 
In a short time the firm controlled seventy marks and brands in the 
counties of Burnet, Lampasas, Llano, and San Saba, and prosperity 
followed his every effort as he so richly deserved. 

It has been said by some wise man "that every sweet has a 
bitter," and tbat unalloyed happiness and prosperity can only last an 
indefinite period of time, and such was the case with our Captain 
Jeff. Federal Judge, Federal Prosecuting Attorney and Sheriff were 
appointed for Burnet County and the twelve men that sat as jurors 
in Captain Jeff's quasi military court martial were appointed grand 
jurors and they found bills of indictment against Professor Holland, 
Captain Jeff and fifty-eight others for murder and robbery during 
the late war. So our hero's troubles commenced again just where they 
were left off. 

The papers were served on Captain Jeff and sixteen others; they 
all easily gave bond for their appearance at court ; they then employed 
a lawyer, the best that could be found, to fight their case, turned 
loose all their business and stood ready and waiting for the call of 
court. When it was called they were all in waiting, and the State 
put off the trial till the next term, and the next term was the same. 
When the third term came around they were all in waiting and anxious 
for trial, but the District Attorney was ordered by the Judge to throw 
the whole batch out of court, and so they were deprived of a tongue 
revenge, for their attorney was well prepared to show to the court 
and to the citizens of Burnet County the low down villainy of tbo 
grand jury in finding the bills worded as they were worded. 

Here the pent-up feelings of Captain Jeff for that grand jury 
coiild not be restrained any longer, as he, with all the others had been 
deprived of their tongue revenge through their attorney. He deter- 
mined to take revenge with his own strong arm, steady nerve and 



40 CAPTAIN JEFF, OR 



quick eye. He commenced to drink, the onl}' bad generalship he 
ever displayed. His friends, all those that had been indicted with 
him, and many more crowded around him, got hold on him and by 
sheer force and persuasion got him out of town, and Jas, W. Taylor, 
whom he loved as a brother got him on his own horse and took him 
to Taylor's home and kept him till the next morning. Taylor sent 
t ) town, had his horse brought out and would not let him leave until 
lie promised him that he would not go through town as he went 
home, and that he would never seek a ditfieultv with his persecutors, 
and lie kept his promise with his tn e friend, J. W. Taylor. 



CHAPTER IV. 

A .'hort time after this his wife gave a litle teaparty to some of 
her lady friends and on this occasion she opened a few bottles of her 
pure unfermented juice of the celebrated Mission grapes and her 
lady friends proposed that they all drink a toast, each one to select 
her own subject and insisted that the hostess lead off. 

She filled her wine glass, rose to her feet, raised her arm to 
full length. The thoughts uppermost in her mind how a few days 
since Jeff came so near blasting his and her hopes of happiness 
through this life, she spoke and said : "Here is to my husband ; may 
h-^ never get tight, but tight or straight, my husband." The next 



FRONTIER LIFE IN TEXAS. 41 

oiie said: "Here is to our noble hostess; nia_y lier every wish be grat- 
ified, and may we live to emulate her courage, patience and womanly 
devotion," and all the others said : "Amen, amen, amen, amen." 

Captain Jeff was away from 1 ome for a few days on some busi- 
ness when this little teaparty was given ; before he returned he heard 
of it and the toast his wife had drank to him; when he got home he 
said: "Mollie, open a bottle of your grape juice; I want to drink to 
you a pledge that will relieve you of all dread or anxiety that called 
forth your toast." She quickly and joyously opened the bottle and 
set him a wine glass; he filled it to ttie brim, then raised his arm 
and said: "My Mollie, in this glass of the ])ure juice of th.e grape 
I pledge to you, (lod helping me, that from this time on that I will 
not make, sell or use as a beverage any sj)irituous or malt liquors; 
that wherever 1 go 1 will keep tliis pledge to you sacred." And in 
after years he made a tour of the entire State of California with the 
American Horticultural Society, as he was a meml)er of that society. 
The society stopped over at a town called Fresno; the citizens came 
forward from every quarter with their best private conveyances to 
welcome them and drive them over the country and sl.ow them their 
fine orchards, vineyards and wineries. 

The first visit was to the Barton vineyard of six hundred and 
forty acres, with winery attached, at which ])lace they all halted and 
alighted and formed a procession of twos aiul marched into a long 
room where was spread a long table covered with snow white linen, 
wine glasses and all varieties of all the very finest wines that Cali- 
fornia could boast of. When they reached the table they filed right 
and left and moved forward to fill up the table.. When the lead man 
reached the table he faced about so as to overlook the table and all 
the guests. He said : "If there is any one present who will not 
taste any of this wine let him b.old up his hand," and in an instant 
Captain Jeff's hand went up to the full length of his arm, and he 
held it there so all could see who it was. The spokesman at the 
head of the table said : "One hand up," and Captain Jeff slowly 
lowered his hand to its natural position, the honored hero of the 
occasion. 

When the wine banquet was over, tb.e ladies and one or two of 
the gentlemen who were strictly temperate, crowded around our C^ap- 



42 CAPTAIN JEFF, OR 



tain Jeff, heartily shaking his hand and complimenting him for his 
courage and devotion to principle so publicly explained. 

They said : "We were not nor did not taste the wine, but we 
did not have the moral courage to follow your noble example. How 
could you do it?" "It was without any effort on my part; it struck 
my ear as a challenge to principle, and in an instant my principle 
accepted the challenge, and oh, my dear friends, I was rewarded for 
the act a thousand times more than my feble tongue can express." 
"Was the reward invisible to all but yourself?" "It was." "Will 
you then please give us an explanation?" "I will, and I will do so 
as fearless of criticism as I was when I held up my hand. The 
moment I held up my hand. an angelic face appeared to me as if 
suspended in the air in front of me and a little higher than my 
head looking me straight in the eyes, and a heavenly radiance of 
approval beamed from its every feature, and in that moment my 
stature seemed to grow higher and higher and higher and the world 
seemed to be under my feet, and I lost sight of the audience, the 
table, wine and wine glasses, and I can only add that my feelings 
were not earthly, but heavenly." 

The party was banqueted every day for thirty days in making 
the tour of California, and he left the State not knowing whether 
California wine was good or bad or indifferent, and he says that 
alcoholic liquors is the best lasted of anything that he ever tasted. 

We hope the reader will pardon this digression. It seemed to bo 
necessary in this connection to show up the firmness and devotion 
of the man of which we write. 



FRONTIER LIFE IN TEXAS. 43 



CHAPTER V. 

As they were making the tour of California, great changes were 
progressing in the great State of Texas. A State election had been 
held. Richard Coke was elected Governor, and Richard Hubard 
Lieutenant Governor, and a Democratic Legislature which passed a 
special act autliorizing the raising of a battalion of Rangers, in which 
the opportihnity will be offered for us to return to the thread of our 
narrative in the long pursuit and final capture and death of the 
noted Big Foot Kiowa chief and his lieutenant Jape, the barbarous 
and bloody Comanche. 

As soon as it was known that the battalion of Rangers was to 
be organized Jas. W. Taylor at once got up two petitions and got 
them signed by all the leading men of Burnet County. One to 
Captain Jeff asking him to take the command of the battalion, and 
the other to Governor Coke asking him to appoint Captain Jeff to 
its command. Jas. W. Taylor went in person with the petition to 
Governor Coke, where he met Senator W. H. Westfall and solicited 
his assistance, which was the very thing that was uppermost in the 
Senator's mind in regard to the commander of the battalion, as he 
lia<l been 071 many scouts after Indians with our whilom Captain. 

Senator Westfall got General Shelly, an eminent lawyer, to draw 
up a ]»etition and recommc^ndation and got it signed by all the mem- 
bers of both houses of the Legislature and all the bankers and leading 
business men of .\ustin. But Governor Coke being the Democratic 
party of Texas, as Cleveland was the Democratic party of the LTnited 
States, he gave the majorship to John B. Jones, a man that had no 
experience whatever in Indian warfare; a man that never lived on 
the frontier and was not identified with the frontier in any way. His 
only apology was that he knew John B. Jones and did not know our 



44 CAPTAIN JEFF, OR 



Captain Jeff, and that he intended to give the appointment to Jones 
from the start, regardless of fitness, for he was his personal friend 
•uul that he had seen his hraverv tested many a time on the battle 
field in the Confederate war. 

In conversation with Captain Jeff after the appointment, he 
said : "Captain Jeff, you have the best recommendation in my office 
for the command of the battalion that any man could have, and I 
have stepped over it, and I liope you and your people will not think 
hard of me for it.'" The reply was: "You are our Governor, and it 
i- your bounden duty to render to all the people a just service as you 
may see it." The Governor th^n said : "Will you accept a c*ommission 
as Captain of one of the campaigns?" The reply was: "Will the 
(lovcrnor give me three days to consider it?" He said: "Yes, as 
many days as you want." While waiting for the expiration of the 
tiiree days to give the Governor his final decision he received a letter 
from his wife saying: "Jeff, do come home as soon as you can; that 
Big Foot brute of an Indian that murdered poor Mrs. Johnson and 
her dear little innocent children almost at our very door has just 
been here in the neighborhood, and I am almost frightened to death 
for fear that he will come and kill me and the children or some 
other good family." 

When he had finislied reading his wife's letter, his mind was 
made up that here was another chance open for him to rid the 
fiontier of this dread curse that hung over them like a pall both day 
and night. He folded his wife's letter, put it in his breast pocket 
and started at once for the Governor's office. 

On his way he met James Cornell, a man that had seen and done 
much service on the frontier and was one of his particular friends. 

He said : "Jim, I am going to the GoAcrnor's office to accept a 
Captain's commission in the frontier battalion. Won't you go in 
with me as my first lieutenant ?"' He said : "I can't get the ap- 
pointment." "Come with me, and we will see." They went together 
to the Governor's office, and Captain Jeff introduced Cornell to him 
and said : "Governor, if you will give me Mr. Cornell here, as my 
First Lieutenant, I will accept the Captaincy in the Frontier Battal- 
ion, for, Governor, if I accept a Captaincy, there will be a great deal 
expected of me." The Governor replied : "Yes, more than any man 



FRONTIER LIFE IN TEXAS. 45 

in the battalion." Here the opportunity was presented to give tlie 
(Jovernor a little thrust and the Captain said: "Governor, you ougiit 
to except the Major." The Governor winced, for he felt that tiic 
pjint was well taken; however he said: "Hold on here, a few minutes 
.vhile 1 go and talk to Adjutant General Steel about your First 
Lieutenant.'" 

!n a fow moments the Governor returned and said: "You nuiv 
have Mr. Cornell for your First Lieutenant, and you are the onlv 
Captain that will be shown that courtesy after being sworn into tiie 
service." 

The Adjutant General turned over to Captain Jeff a pair of mules 
and hack, loaded the hack with arms and ammunition, and ordered 
him to go and raise a company of seventy-five men, and to swear them 
into service, and to furnish them all the necessary supplies and t> 
g') on duty at once. As the country was ovjrniu wiiij uvJi.'n-' aud 
outlaws, J^nntain 7( ff and his Lieutenant started at once \vii 'i tIjc 
i.rrtis and {'mfnuTrion to raise a select comp.riv of mfii and bciscs 
with all possible dispatch. 

When they got near the Captain's home, they saw a man coming 
meeting them riding a fine iron gray horse. The Captain said: "Jim, 
if 1 did not know that old Selum was dead, I would say that man was 
riding him; he has his every movement, and I am going to buy him, 
if he can be bought, for something tells me that that is the horse 
that is to run down my Big Foot adversary that has been so for- 
tunate as to outgeneral me so many times." By the time tliis vm,- 
versation was ended, the parties met, and after the usual salutations 
th(! following conversation was had : 

"blister, how old is your horse?" "Six years old." "What ^tock 
i- lie?" "'I'he best four mile stock that is raised in Arkansas; be 
has nevi^r been l)eaten on the track." "Is he gentle?" "Yes, gentle 
a- a clog, and as brave as a lion." "Well, that is the very horse 1 
an) looking for; 1 once owned a horse that was a dead match to 
ycurs, but I think my horse was the better horse of the two." 

He said : "Stranger, that horse don't live that is a better horse 
than this, my horse, Selum." "Is that his name?" "Yes, he wa-^ 
named after the horse that young. Scotch McDonell rode in the Rev- 
olutionary War in General Marion's company." "Well, that was my 



46 CAPTAIN JEFF, OR 



horse's name, too, and he was named after the sanie horse, of Rev- 
olutionary fame." "Well, what will yon take for biiu?" "I am a 
new comer here, and I will need a good work team, and if yon 
n'ill give me a pair of good horses and one hundred dollars in cash, 
you may have him." Without any hesitation, the Captain replied : 
"It is a trade; it is only one mile to uiy house; come with us a'^d 
I will fix you u]) with a good team and one hundred dollars cash." 

After reaching the Captain's house it only required a few minutes 
to make a final close of the trade, and he mounted one of the horse-: 
and rode oft' saying, "Good-bye, gentlemen, and good-bye, Selum.'" 
When he was gone, the Captain hollowed : "Oh, Mollie ! Come out 
here." After introducing her to Lieutenant Cornell, he said; "Mollie, 
do you know that horse?" She looked at him, in perfect amazement, 
and finally stammered out; "Y-yes, n-no; if 1 didn't know that old 
Selum was dead, that the Indians killed him, and you on him, and 
that you carried your saddle home on your back, 1 would say. yes, I 
know him, that he was Selum." "Well, Mollie, he is Selum number 
two, and I have a commission in my pocket to raise seventy-live men 
and go Rangering, and I bought Selum number two to ride.'' She 
exclaimed ; "Why, Jeff, you have been a soldier and worse than a 
soldier for the eight years, and I have Ik en a kind of a grass widov, 
all that time." "Say, Mollie, what is a grass widow?" "It's a woman 
that her husband goes off and leaves her all the time."' "Then what 
is a kind of a grass widow ?" "It's a woman that her husband goes 
o^ and leaves her most of the time; and when I married you, I 
thought I was going to have a hnsband all the time." He replied • 
"Then I have been only a sort of a husband a very little of the time." 

"Mollie, you say, and correctly, that I have been a soldier for 
eight years; did you know that No. 9 was my lucky number? ]\Iy 
mother was born in the year 1809, you were born in 1839 and you 
two are the greatest women I have ever known, and that I was born 
in 1839, that our boy Jeff was born in 1859, and circumstances, it 
seems, over which I have no control cause me to accept a soldier's 
life one more year, which makes that No. 9. Why, Mollie, I used to 
play poker before I was overshadowed by your Christianizing influ- 
ence, and whenever I got a pair of nines I always staid in the Jack 
pot, and if I got the third one in the draw I never laid them down." 

"Oh, pshaw, Jeff, what do I know about such talk as Jack pot, 



FRONTIER LIFE IN TEXAS. 47 



stay in and lay down, three nine, and H'O on? But if your destiny 
was or is to soldier nine years, 1 hope kind Providence will protect 
you in your lucky No. 9, as it seems to have protected you for the 
last eight." "Mollie, let me say to you, don't have any fears for my 
personal safety, for that small voice that has protected me through 
ail my life tells me to go, and that I will be successful, and that 
when the full time alloted to me as a soldier has expired that 1 will 
return to you and the children victorious, mounted on Selum and 
in the best of health, and will find you and the children well and 
happy; then I will lay aside my arms of death to man and try and 
practice war no more.'' She said: "God grant it; amen." 

Lieutenant Cornell remained at Captain Jeff's that night and in 
the morning the Captain told him to go right on to Brownwood, 
Brown County, where he had lived for years and knew every man in 
the county, and to pick twenty-five men and horses, the very best 
that he could select; then the Orderly Sergeant and one duty Ser- 
geant, and you go on to Camp Colorado and tell Lieutenant Best 
that I send the same order to him that I give to you. He can select 
one Duty Sergeant and two Corporals. I will pick twenty-five men 
here in Burnet County and select one Commissary Sergeant, two 
Duty Sergeans and two Corporals, and rendezvous at Brownwood. 
Expedite matters as fast as you can, having an eye single to the 
good of the service." By this mode of wise procedure in a very 
short time a company of seventy-five men was raised, giving the 
counties of Burnet, Brown and Coleman an equal devision of com- 
missioned and non-commissioned officers and men. 

In the short space of two weeks the company was rendezvoused 
at Brownwood, formed into line, and the Captain administered the 
oath necessary in military organizations, the muster roll made out. 
the non-commissioned officers appointed as agreed upon, a contract 
made with John T. Gilber, a merchant of Brownwood, to furnish 
supplies, and the company went on duty at once. And the Major 
commanding and the Quartermaster and Battalion Doctor publicly 
said that it was the best company in the battalion, or that could be 
raised in the State, and that Captain Jeff was the only man thai could 
command them. And this was no flattery either, for they had been 
selected for health, strength, horsemanship and experts with the 



48 CAPTAIN JEFF, OR 

lasso, and a perfect familiarity of frontier life, and like Davy Cro3kett 
ot' old, they were half horse and half aligator, many of them stand- 
ing six feet two inches in physique, perfect fac similes of the Biir 
Foot Indian of which we write, less the foot. The Captain turnel 
over a posse of his men to the Sheriff of Brown County and they 
soon arrested or drove out all the lawless characters, John Wesley 
Harden among tlie rest, while he turned Ids particular attention to 
scouting for Indians. 

The trails of his scouting party could he seen in every direction 
which kept the Indians from making their monthly raids, which 
gave the settlers such encouragement that they wrote hack to their 
friends in the other States to come; that they had the very best 
of protection, which gave impetus to immigration, and Brown and 
adjoining counties rapidly filled up with first-class people, whicli 
greatly assisted in driving back the Indians. 

One of the first scouts made by Captain Jeff's company was com- 
innnded by Sergeant Andrew Mather, further mention of which will 
be made as our recital progresses. He was ordered to take fifteen 
men and nuike a scout through the roughs of Callahan County near 
the Caddo Peaks, etc. The second evening after starting he struck 
camp near West Caddo Peak, and as it was not customary for this 
company to carry more than meat enough for one day when going 
on a scout, this scout was no exception to the general rule, so on camp- 
ing, Sergeant Mather ordered John Parsons, wlio was a fine shot. 
and an experienced hunter, to take his gun and go out and kill a 
deer for supper, saying: "If you find a bunch of cattle don't shoot; 
come back to camp and we will go and rope one, as you know the 
Captain's orders are not to shoot at anything but Indians, not even 
the rc\il liiiiisclf. if it can ' possilily be avoided, and I tliuk too 
much of old Captain Jeff to break one of his orders." So saying, 
Parsons slung his gun over his shoulder and mached off. He had 
not been gone but about five or ten minutes when they heard his 
gun fire, and he hollowing for life, saying: "Come on, boys! Come 
on ! Here are the damn rascals ! Come on !" 

Mather hollowed: "Saddle \'our horses, boys, quick! quick!" and 
in less time than it takes to write about it, the horses were saddled. 
By this time Parsons had .got to camp, and he fell exhausted for 



FRONTIER LIFE IN TEXAS. 49 



want of breath. Mather said: "Parsons, did you kill a deer?" When 
he had regained his l)reath sufficiently to speak, he said : "T did not, 

but I killed a Indian." It is to be hoped that this rough 

expression may be pardonable under the very exciting circumstances. 
Here we will let Parsons tell his own story in as few words as pos- 
sible before going to verify his statement. He said : 

"I was walking along slowly looking for cattle or deer and when 
I saw horses' legs coming towarrls me the limbs of the trees came 
down so low that I could not see the horses' bodies. T squatted down 
and when they got in sixty or seventy yards of me I saw that old 
Big Foot was in the lead ; in an instant I thought my only chance 
for life was to kill him and the one just l)ehind hitu, and T tricil 
t'> say, 'Now, Parsons, make the best shot of your life,' so I aimed 
and pulled the trigger, and I'll be d — n if old Big Foot didn't dodge 
the bullet and I killed the one behind him ! He fell forward, grabbed 
both arms around his horses' neck, then I run and hollowed for life.'' 

While Parsons was telling his story some of the boys were saddling 
his horse, so then they all mounted and went in haste to verify Par- 
son's statement. 

When thev reached the spot, the mystery of Big Foot dodging 
the bullet of Parson's gun was fully explained, for just at the 
moment that Parsons pulled the trigger Big Foot's horse stepped 
into a hole made by some little animal, that burrows in the ground. 
He fell forward and came below Parson's sight thus dodging the bul- 
let. Eeader, was this luck again for Big Foot, or what? Parsons' 
identity of Big Foot was correct, for th^re plainly to be seen was 
his tracks where he jumped otf his fallen horse and ran to the as- 
sistance of one of his falling braves. From the amount of blood 
at the spot. Parsons' shot must have been fatal. 

The trail was taken with as much dispatch as possible, and 
in less than a mile they reached the hard, stony and bushy hills 
just north of the Peak, where it was impossible for them to follow 
the trail any further, (io on. Pig Foot, goo n. there is a man on 
your trail ! It has been "diamond cut diamond" with you for sev- 
eral years, but the time will come sooner or later, when your dia- 
mond will cease to sparkle, and its brilliancy will go out forever 
in this world. 

Sergeant Mather's scout returned without seeing or hearing of 

1 



50 CAPTAIN JEFF, OR 



any more Indians. The next light moon the Captain sent out 
Lieut. Best on a scout; he camped on the Jim Ned, above Old Camp 
Colorado. After supper the horses were all picketed out, and the 
guards properly stationed ; the men lay down, and some of them 
had gone to sleep, when the Indians slipped up around the camp 
and fired into it, yelling like demons. Lieut. Best sprang to his 
feet and hollowed to every man to get to his horse quick, quick. 
He ran barefooted to his horse, and all the men followed his ex- 
ample, taking their arms with them. Each one when he got to his 
horse began firing as rapidly as he could in the direction from 
which the yells and firing of the Indians came, which " soon 
stopped the yelling and firing, and in half an hour the camp was 
again still and quiet. On examination the only casualty was one 
horse killed, which was seen to fall at the first volley that the In- 
dians fired. This small loss was lucky, for the arrows and bullets 
flew thick and fast at the first onslaught. 

This made another one of Big Foot's lucky escapes. As the 
Indians had been driven off nothing more could be done but to 
double the guards and stand their ground until morning. On 
examination of the surroundings of the camp it -was demonstrated 
that this attack was made by Big Foot and his band, for the difi'erence 
in the size of his tracks and the others proved it to be he without 
any doubt. The Indians had tied their horses some distance from 
the camp and made the attack on foot, and when their attack was 
met with such cool and determined resistance they ran back to their 
horses, mounted them and rode off in different directions, one of Big 
Foot's tactics, and a sure one too, to prevent being trailed or follow- 
ed, for it is almost impossible to trail one horse any distance, whil<? 
a l)unch can be trailed with all ease. 

Lieut. Best rode in a big circle, but could not find where the 
Indians came together, consequently he returned to camp without 
anything else to report. 

The next light moon Major Jones made his monthly visit of 
inspection and called on the Captain to take scouts and go with 
him to Fort Concho. They rode very hard, and when near Fort 
Concho the Major told the Captnin that lie could go bnck and make 
a s'-out on his return, and that he would go on to Fort Concho with 
the men he had with him. 



FRONTIER LIFE IN TEXAS. 51 



They were then in a spot where there was but little grass, 
but remenibered passing over good grass some ten miles back, and 
were compelled to ride back to get feed for their horses. 

The spot of grass was reached after dark, the horses were all 
side lined and turned loose to grass, two men to guard them. 

The others built fires and got supper, but before they had time 
to eat it the Indians, twenty or twenty-five in number, made a des- 
perate and reckless charge into and through tlic eani]). firing giiiis. 
})istols and' arrows, knocking tie fires and supix'r heltcr skelter, and 
yelling like demons. 

They stampeded all 'the horses, and drove them much faster than 
the men could run, but the men ran and fired after them as long as 
tlie sound of the horses' feet could be heard. 

When they were completely exhausted, they stopped and sat down, 
some cursing and swearing, and some laughing at the figure they 
would cut walking forty miles carrying their saddles, etc. 

When they all had had their say. Captain Jefi^ said: "This is 
pretty tough on old Jeff's brag compnny, to go on a scout and l)e 
so badly outgeneraled by old l^ig Foot that we all have to walk 
forty miles to camp carrying our saddles, hut let me show you hoAV 
much worse it could have been. You see how all of us missed being 
killed or wounded ; think it over, and you will say that was almost if 
not a miracle. See, we are all mdiurt, an.l will if possible be more de- 
termined to get even with our I'ig Foot friend (?). for this will en- 
courage him to hunt for us to get some more of our good horses. 

The State will pay for yorr horses and as for me, old Selum 
will be back here before morninor, for the Indian that cuts his side 
lines and mounts him will be a dead or crippled Indian if there are 
any trees near this place, for the horse will run away with him 
and throw him against a tree or my name is not Jeff. Boys, you 
won't have to walk to camp; old Selum will carry me to camp 
long before night tomorrow, and I will send back horses for you 
tn ride on; old Jeff's hoys arc horse soldiers, not foot soldiers." 
^^'hen this last talk was finished a distant rumbling like horses' 
feet was heard. The boys sprarsg to their feet, some thinking the 
Indians were coming back. As the sounds came nearer and clearer 
old Jeff hursted out in a laugh as the sound, tone and beat of that 
hoof was indelibly impressed on his ear and nerve. When the run- 



52 CAPTAIN JEFF, OR 



ning horse came near enough to hear the Captain hollowed at the 
top of his voice : "Selum ! Selum ! My boy. Here, here !" A sharp, 
keen neigh of recognition was heard in answer and Selum dashed up 
to where the men stood. The Captain said in a gentle tone, "Selum, 
my boy, come here," and the noble horse walked up to him and put 
his head over his shoulder, with a gentle whinny. The Captain 
then said, "Boys, what did I tell you? See this rawhide tug tied 
around Seluni's under jaw?. Why, an Indian could no more ride 
this horse with that tug than I could fly like an eagle, or knock 
down a mountain with my fist !" 

The boys said : "We know that there is n6t a man in your com- 
pany that can or ever will ride Selum without his running away, 
but yourself, and we think that he has made up his mind that 
no other man shall ride him." They trudged on back to the tetji- 
porary camp feeling very much like foot soldiers for the time being. 

Captain Jeff mounted Selum and said, "Boys, while away the 
time as best you can until tomorrow night, and you will be rangers 
again, and I will have you back in camp in three days." 

He rode off, and at four o'clock he was at his headquarters 
camp and reported his defeat. The next morning he started back 
sixteen men with sixteen lead horses and in three days he had all 
of liis men at headquarters camp. At roll call that evening, the 
orderly sergeant reported all men present, sixteen horses absent with- 
out leave. "Charge them up to bad generalship of the Captain, and 
good generalship of the Big Foot ingin." 

Sixteen other good horses were purchased and the company wa'? 
soon again in good shape for duty. i: 



FRONTIER LIFE IN TEXAS. 53 



CHAPTER VI. 
DISCIPLINE, HIGH WATER AND THE RANGER FEAST. 

In the month of August Major Jones made his regular return visit 
all along the line, and on leaving Camp Company "E" he ordered 
Captain Jetf to take a detachment of men and go down on l\luke 
Water and buy a crop of corn that was reported to be growing on 
that stream;" so immediately after the Major's departure, the captain 
took three men and went at once to carry out the Major's orders. 
U was raining a slow rain at the time they started, and it rained 
stf>adily and slowly all the day and night. 

The corn was purchased and the little party camped in an old 
schoolhouse, and stood the regular guard (as guard was never omitted 
with this company, under any circumstances) the Captain always 
taking his regular turn on occasions like this where the scout or 
expedition was few in number. 

The next morning it was still raining the steady, slow rain, that 
had been falling for eighteen hours. After a hastily prepared break- 
fast, the captain orderel "Boots and Saddles" as this company never 
stopped for any thing when duty called. 

Their course was up Muke Water stream, which was now swollen 
to a rushing torrent, and covered the entire valley from hill to hill. 

The Captain rode his favorite horse that had always been equal 
to any emergency, and as they were all wet to the skin, he thought 
to try his boys' luck in water as well as on dry land ; so he turned 
Selum directly to the road that led up the creek valley which was 
completely covered with driftwood and water from three to ten feet 
deep where the small depressions run into the main channel. 

At every plunge the boys cheered and hollowed : "Where old Jeff 



54 CAPTAIN JEFF, OR 



<]ares to go, we can follow." This iieadlong and reckless ride was 
kept lip for some ten miles to where the road leading from head- 
<|uarters camp to Brownwood t-rossed the Mnke Water stream. 

Here the Captain found his com])anj wagon and harness washed 
11]) and lodged against a large mesqnite tree, and heard at the same 
time a yell from the adjacent liill, and on going to ret-onnoitcr,. he 
found two of his men that had heen sent to Brownwood the evening 
hcfore by the commisary sergeant for supplies. They had camped 
for the night near the creek. They saved their lives by swimming and 
left the wagon to its fate. 

Here the captain and his little party halted to assist his men 
and wagon to cross the stream at the earliest moment possible. About 
three o'clock that evening two men from head(juarters camp rod<' 
up and reported to the Captain that the entire camp was washeJ 
away; that one man and six horses were drowned, and that there 
was not a vestige of anything left in the camp, only the nien,^ most 
of them with only their night clothes, but each and every man had 
all his arms and cartridge belt, but no other subsistaoce but air 
and muddy water. So much for discipline. This company could not 
be taken by surrprise in the loss of arms for immediate use only 
by a destructive flash of lightning. Let us briefly explain : T^ho, 
horses were all tied to a picket line, and a sentinel walked the line 
every night as regular as the tick of the. clock. 

The sentinel discovered a roll of water several feet high rolling 
down the entire valley of Home Creek in which the camp was 
located in a beautiful grove of spreading elm trees. He (the sentinel) 
gave the alarm with might and main, to cut the horses loose; every 
man sprang up, grabbed his arms and ran to the picket line to cut 
hi.'', horse loose, and by the time that was done he had to get to a 
the main stream to report to the Captain for orders, what to do in 
their extreme necessities. 

He at once sent them back to the camp with orders to Lieut. 
Best to get a conveyance and send escort with the drowned man to 
Camp Colorado and to have him buried with the honors of war. 
The others to Kill and barbecue a beef and subsist as best they could 
until he could get to them with rations. The necessities of the 
situation lequired heroic exertions. He at once mounted his horse 
bareback, rode to the stream and plunged in to see if it was pos- 



FRONTIER LIFE IN TEXAS. 55 



sible to cross with the wagon. The current was so strong that it 
bore him and the liorse much farther down than he expected, and it 
was with great exertions tliat his horse mounted to firm footing 
on the other bank. After resting his horse, he went up liigher above 
tlie ford, and his horse landed him safely back at the ford. As there 
was no possible chance to get the wagon across he had to sit down and 
chew the cud of anxiety until the water fell to a crossing depth. At 
nine or ten o'clock that night the water had fallen to such an extent 
that the Captain ordered the horses hitched up saying, "Boys, we 
will plunge that creek at all hazards; our boys in camp are looking 
to us for grub and they shall have it. Tie the wagon bed fast to 
the axles," which was done, and they moved forward to the bank of 
the creek; here he placed two of his men to cross below the team, 
the other above the team. He went in the lead, saying, "Now come, 
and give them mules the biggest scare you can; tliat is, make tliem 
jump across, Nor as far out as possible, if we get across quick enough, 
the current won't capsi/^e tlie wagon." The plunge was made as 
directed, and the landing was well made, and when the top of the 
bank was reached, the Kanger yell of victory could iuive been heard 
for miles around. 

Turning to the driver, the Captain said : "John, we want all there 
is in them mules; keep up with us; when they fail, we will tie 
on to the end of the tongue with our ropes, and pull tlie wagon at the 
horns of our saddles" In this way, double-quick time was made to 
ijrownwood, and they plunged into swimming water inside of the 
town, but they made a successful crossing, loaded the wagon with grub 
as the first essential, and were on the road back to the camp before 
daylight. In leaving Brownwood, they went around the water that 
they swam on going in, and when they got to Muke Water creek it 
had fallen to a ford able depth. 

By urging the animals to their utmost, camp was reached by 
one o'clock that day, and as the relief party drove into camp a shout 
of joy rent the air that will ever be remembered by all the par- 
ticipants. A beef had been killed, the hide washed and hung up 
to drip ready to kneed the flour, a sack of which was emptied on 
the hide, a l)ountifid (piantity of the inside fat was cut fine; salt, soda. 
fat and flour were well mixed, and four men went to work with a 
will urged on by the cravings of hunger, and in less than it takes 



56 CAPTAIN JEFF, OR 



to write it tlie don(j]i was well knoadcd, and cac]! man canio witli h\> 
stick for his allowance. 

A ))ountiful fire liail l)een made in antifi{)ati()n of this pleasant 
event, and the beef was cooking to a finish. Header, let your imag- 
ination picture this scene around this fire. Each man cooking his 
bread a la Eanger st^de. The beef was now cooked to a finish, and 
here the most enjoyable feast that was ever eaten was enjoyed by 
Company "E," Texas Rangers, Frontier Battalion. 

After the feast was over orders were given to all to spread out 
down the valley and collect everything that had been caught in brush 
and driftwood, and most of the camp equippage was recovered, but 
badly disfigured by its terrible encounter with a second Noah's flood, 
only the equippage didn't have a Mt. Ararat to lodge upon. Everything 
that could be found was gathered and the camp was moved to Mud 
Creek and remained there until the reductions of the battalion was 
made. 

After the new camp was properly arranged Sergeant Mathej 
was ordered to take twenty men and go out on a scout in which the 
discipline of this company is further demonstrated. 

It was standing orders while on a scout that the men were not 
allowed to shoot at any thing but an Indian, and when it was neces- 
sary to get meat the commander of the scout should detail one or two 
men to get the meat while all the others remained on duty. In this 
instance, the scout was marching regularly along, when one of the 
largest (if not the largest) bears that ever was seen in Texas, came 
marching slowly along, as if to banter them to shoot and break their 
orders. He came nearer and nearer, and when he had got within 
sixty or seventy yards of the scout Sergeant Mather said, "Halt, boys, 
remain in 3^our positions," and quickly taking down his small, nice 
rawhide lariat, he dashed after the bear and before he ran one hun- 
dred yards he threw his rope and it tightened around the bear's neck. 
The bear grabbed the rope in his mouth to bite it in two. Mather 
sprang off his horse; the horse was trained to hold anything that the 
lasso was thrown over. Mather drew his Bowie knife, ran to the bear, 
and drove it through his heart before he could bite tlie lariat in 
two. The other men remained as they were ordered, all except one — 
Bill Dunman, who ran to Mather for fear that the bear would 
get him tangled up in the rope. 



FRONTIER LIFE IN TEXAS. 57 

The bear's hide was broiiglit into camp, was stretched and hung 
up with but one hole in it. Tlie rope was hung up by the hide 
witli the marks of the bear's teeth on it as proof of bravery and 
discipline. Tliis scout returned to camp without seeing any sign of 
Indians. This company didn't keep its headquarters camp more 
than two months in one place, and in moving always selected a camp 
so there was a mountain in four or five miles of it, so that a plain 
view of the surrounding country could be had with good field glasses 
for miles around. The Captain selected at the start four men for 
spies that had no other duty to perform. Early each morning two of 
them would mount their horses and go to the spy mountain and re- 
main on duty until after dinner when they would be relieved by the 
other two, and this spy duty was strictly kept up every day unless it 
rained all day. 

At this time the headquarters camp was on Mud Creek in Cole- 
man County, in heavy post oak timber. About one half mile west 
of the camp was a beautiful mountain for spy purposes, and the camp 
could not be seen from its base. The spies had been kept on it 
for nearly two months when it commenced to rain one morning be- 
fore the time for the spies to go on duty, and it rained all day until 
late in the evening so the spies were not sent out. Bill Sinclare's 
horses would always graze off up to the spy mountain whenever he 
was turned lose, hut there was no fear of losing him by Indians 
•a^'- the spies stood guard there all day and every day. Late in the 
evening of this day Sinclaire went out to the mountain to get his 
horse, and lo and behold ! there between the camp and the mountain 
was an Indian trail of seventeen horses. 

Sinclare's horse was holibled, and just in the riglit place for them 
to take him along. Sinclare made 2 :40 time in going back to 
camp with the report. Orders were at once given for seventeen men 
to saddle their horses and in five minutes the scout started; they 
went out to the mountain and took the trail, Mexican Joe as trailer, 
as he had been enlisted for that purpose, and could trail almost equal 
to a bloodhound. 

The ground was wet, and the trail was followed at a brisk lope for 
about twenty miles, where the Indians had halted within about one 
hundred yards of a man's house and in all probability were intending 



58 CAPTAIN JEFF, OR 

to murder tlie family, but before tl;ey bad time to carry tbat into 
effect, tbe E angers came in sigbt. 

The Iiaiigers did not el:('( k tl rir liovscs. lnii eliarued riglit onio 
tbem. Tbe Indians were so taken by surprise, tliat tbey were almost 
panic stricken. At tbe first volley of tbe Rangers one Indian fell 
dead and two more were wounded. Sinclare's iiorses fell dead and 
the bow of tbe Indian tbat rode bim was sbot in two so tbe Indian 
had no other arms but a butcher knife; this he drew and bending 
down his head he dashed into tbe Rangers, uttering the wild shrieks 
of an enrag-ed bull. He made one desperate lunge at Sergeant Mather 
with bis knife and would have killed him, but Mather was the best 
horseman in the company, and just as the knife descended be threw 
liimself to the opposite side of bis horse, Wallace, who received the 
blow that was intended for his rider. 

Tbe knife was driven through tbe saddle blanket and into Wal- 
lace's shoulderblade. At tbat instant tbe brave, devoted and heroic 
lii.lian fell with four army six shooter balls driven through tbe vital 
part of his body. As a deed of bravery, devotion and heroism it was 
never surpassed, no, not by Arnold Winkelricd. His devotion to 
hjw oi.Jof ;ij-ifl hi« comrades caused him to .^ive liis life to give tbem a 
chance to get away, for when be had ma('e bis mad cb.arge uttering 
the shrieks of an enraged bull all eyes were turned on bim, and by 
the time be fell all tlie otliers were out of siglit and gone, as it was 
dark, and tbe timber and brush was thick at tbe place. As : ot- i g 
further could be done in tbe ciarkr.ess, and it was only six miles to 
the tov/n of Erovvnwood tbe Capt:iin took bis men to Brownv^-ood 
where accommodations could be had for men and horses. After 
reaching Brownwood, the men were bountifully fed at the hotels, 
horses all well cared for at the livery stables, all but the C'aptain's 
horse, he was put in a private stable, and tlie next morning the 
door was open, and tbe Captain's horse was gone. This was very an- 
noying to tbe Captain as he was making all possible baste to go out 
to where the fight took place as he was anxious to take the trail 
of tbe Indians. 

Two of the citizens of Brownwood, John McMahan and Henry 
Warmick were going out to where the fight took place to bring tbe 
dead Indians in for tbe people to see tbem, but as good luck would 



FRONTIER LIFE IN TEXAS. 59 



have it in this instance, the orderely sergeant had been sent into 
EictAvnwood two days before on some company business and he rode 
a number one horse, a race horse, tliat ran away with the sergeant 
e\ery time the company v/ent on drilh So the Captain called on 
the. sergeant for his liorse, wliich was cheerfully given, the captain 
sayipg: "Sergeant, my horse will be back here in the camp before 
night, if the Indians don't kill him, for they can't ride him." 

The sergeant said, "Xo, the horse that can run away with Ser- 
geant Mather, can run away with any Indian, even old Big Foot 
liimsi'if." The scout was mounted, and waiting for the Captain, 
as it took some little time for him to get the Sergeant's horse 
saddled. He said, "Sergeant Mather, Sergeant Arnet, Albert Arnet, 
Dr. Ring and Mexican Joe will remain with me; Lieut. Best, you go 
on with the balance of the men and we will overtake you before 
you get there. McMahan and Warmick remained with the Captain 
who soon started on behind the scout in a road that led to wh'^re 
the tight took place. Th.e Captain's party had not gone more than a 
mile from.Brownwood ; he was riding in the lead when he discovered 
a frt«h trail of horses near the road. 

He. at once turned his horse to it to investigate it, all the others 
of his little party followed him; they had not followed it but a 
short distance until they were fully convineeil that it was lndian.-< 
that had returned to Brownwood in the night and stolen fresh horses, 
the Captain's among the number. Here the Captain called for Mexi- 
can Jp^ to take the trail, and the race for life began. The Captain 
said, "Sergeant Mather. Wallace is disabled and can't stand the run, 
so you had better go and join Lieut. Best," to which the sergeant 
replied, "Wallace can stand anything, at any rate he will have to 
go until he falls," and drawing his quirt, he hit him a keeJi- lick in 
the flank and drove him to the front just behind the trailer. Here 
Albert Arnet closed up by the side of Mather and in this manner the 
race was kept up until Joe's horse gave out. Here Mather and Arnet 
quickly dismounted and threw off their saddles, coats, hats, and the 
Captain threw off his coat and they mounted their horsns bareback, 
and took the trail side by side, and in a short distance Mather's horse 
ran against the limb of a tree and knocked him off. The Captain said, 
"Andrew, are you hurt?" He answered, "No," and the captain passed 
him, and in less than a hundred yards a limb struck the Captain, 



60 CAPTAIN JEFF, OR 



knocking him off. Mather came up and said, "Captain, are you 

liiirt?" The Captain answered "No." "Then we are even," said 
Mather. 

Just here a fine pair of U. S. red blankets were left hanging on a 
projecting limb, a little further, on was two Indian saddles and bridles 
left on the trail, and everything they carried was thrown down 
to lighten their load. Just here the Indians were passing near 
the Ranger ( am]i and the Captain had completely run (h»wn ini 
Sergeant's horse. He said, "Boys, they will go through Santa Anna 
Gap, Keep on after them, and 1 will go by the camp and get a 
fresh horse and meet .you in the Gap." 

When he reached the Gap his men had just passed through and 
Mather was standing by his noble horse, Wallace, coatless, hatless, and 
with his face all bloody from the limbs sticking in it, an object of 
disappointment and terror. 

The Captain on his fresh horse soon overtook all that was left 
of his little party, to-wit: Sergeant Arnct, Albert Arnet and Dr. 
King, he himself making four, but they dauntlessly followed on to 
Robinson's Peak in Coleman Coiinty, where the country is very rough 
and brushy, here the Indians scattered, and their trail could not be 
followed any further. They had made the run from where the 
trail was first struck to Robinson's Peak, a distance of sixty miles, 
in seven hours. 

The party killed a calf for meat, and wearily dragged them- 
selves back to camp which they reached the next day sorelv and 
sadly disappointed, for Big Foot's guiding spirit had carried him 
safely through another series of close places. 



FRONTIER LIFE IN TEXAS. 61 



CHAPTER VII. 

The first thing that greeted the Captain's eye when he returned 
to camp was Selum, standing where he was fed. The Captain dis- 
mounted and went directly to him, and patting him on the neck said, 
"Selum, my boy, did you bust another ingin ?" to which he uttered 
his low familiar whinny, as much as to say, "you bet 1 did." The or- 
derly sergeant coming up to greet the Captain said, "Selum did as 
you said he would, probably killed another Indian, and came back 
to Brownwood." "Did you ride him to camp?" "No. sir, 1 bor- 
rowed a horse and led him." The Captain then said, "1 expect I 
have killed your horse, and if so, I will get you as good a one 
if he can be found." The sergeant replied, "I bought him to run 
Indians, and if you have killed him in that capacity, then he is 
well paid for," and this was the kind of men that composed Captain 
Jefi's company; nothing small about them but their feet. The scout- 
ing was kept up, but no more signs of Indians during this moon nor 
until near the full of the next moon, when Lieut. Best was sitting 
ii) the camp tent one night and the .subject cainc up of hu-ky niiinhers. 
The Captain said : "Lieutenant, have you a lucky number, and if so, 
what is it?" The Lieutenant said, "Yes, my lucky number all 
through life begins and ends with the figure nine. My mother was 
bom on December 9, 1829, I was born on November 9, 1819, my 
wife was born on May 9, 1859, when all the flowers were in bloom, 
and she is the sweetest and loveliest rose that ever bloomed, and 
Eose is her name." Well, Lieutenant, the births of our family are 
coincidental all the way through, beginning or ending with the figure 
nine, and as tomorrow is the ninth of the month, I propose that 
we make a scout with nine men all told, including ourselves, and 
fitart precisely at nine o'clock a. m. I will select four of the men and 



62 CAPTAIN JEFF, OR 



YOU can sc^levt three; 1 select Seryvaitt I\'lntl:cr, Coi-iHiral Sjr-kctt 
Bill Williams and Mexican Joe, for trailer." The Lieutenant then 
Raid : "I select Sergeant Amet, Corporal Henry and Bill Dunman," 
Ro tl'e names of the scout stood as follo^vs: 

1st — Captain Jeff, 2nd — Liuet. Best, 3rd — Sergeant Mather, 4th 
— Corporal Sackett, 5th — Bill Williams, Gth — j\lexican Joe, 7th — 
Sergeant Arnett, 8th — Coropral Henry, fJtb — Bill Dimman. 

The list was made out and the Captain instructed the Lieuten- 
ant to notify the men to be in readiness to start at the appointed 
time, so at nine o'clock the following morning everything was in per- 
fect readiness and the scout started at nine o'clock sharp. About thn^e 
miles west of the headquarters camp was a Pass that .the Indians 
sometimes went through as they returned from the settlements with 
their stolen horses, to which point the scout was directed at the s^art. 
\\n::en they got near the Pass they saw a lone horseman sitting on 
his horse and they rode directly to him, and when near enough tc 
recognize him the lone horseman hollowed "Hello !. Captain ! You arc 
thr very man of all men that I v/anted to see at this time./' The 
Captain replied, "W^elJ, ,Jini. I am glad that I can be of service to 
you; what is wanted?^' "The Indians, old Big Foot and band^ stole 
a lot of horses yesterday in San Saba County near my place and, my 
nice horse, Gray Eagle, with the rest. I at once mounted this pony 
and' took the trail with the hope that I might meet, you or have a 
•chance to send you word. I rode the trail hard all day yesterday 
and did not see anyone ; when dark came on so that I couldn't see 
th( trail I staked out )uy pony and laid down, and this morning 
followed it up to this pass. I don't think they are so far ahead but 
that yon can overtake them before dark, but my horse Gray Eagle is 
good and gone from Jim Brown and his heirs forever, for there i.- 
not a horse on this frontier that can catch him." The Captain then 
.said, "Jim, what distance does he run?" He replied: "One-half mile " 
; to which the Captain -smilingly said (patting Selum on the nt'ck ) , 
"Jim, if that is Gray Eagle's distance, Selum can run over him 
or pull his head off with a hundred foot lariat in one mile and carry 
uiy weight, at whicli he langlied <iuizically. "Very well, the. proof of 
the pudding is in the eating, and I feel that this is the. day that 
I ani to sample it after so many trials, and to fully test yoiir opinion 
of the speed of Gray Eagle." He then said, "Boys, if wei afc to 



FRONTIER LIFE IN TEXAS, . 6S 



catch those Indians we can't stand here and talk race horse any longer, 
but get right down to business. 

Jim Brown then said: "]\ly pony can't go much farther, and it is 
no use for me to start on with you. I wish I had a good horse," 
to which the captain said, "and if you did, we would send you back, 
not that we doubt your bravery, for you have fully demonstrated by 
following and camping on the trail all alone that you could be de- 
pended on; we have made this a special scout of nine men and we do 
not want any more." "Then the captain said, "Joe, take the trail 
and make this the best effort of your life," which he did, keeping 
in a brisk trot or lope the entire day, with the exception of a short 
halt at three o'clock to eat a hasty hmch, and to rest and graze the 
horses for the onward pursuit. 

At four o'clock they were again in the saddles and the same 
speed was kept up until it was growing dark, when they reached the 
summit of an elevation, and Joe came to a sudden halt and pointed 
towards where plainly to he seen was the Indians' fire, some two 
miles ahead under some large spreading elms on the bank of Valley 
Creek, in Runnels County. 

Here a short consultation was held and they moved forward m 
a slow, steady walk in single file, Captain Jeff in the lead. 

As they approached nearer the ground became sandy and their 
horses' feet made but very little noise. In this cautious manner they 
o.u) uii[;[AV o:^ [)ui! qsu.i(| pui? s.w.i; [pnus _f()([um|.) i;' [miqaq du opo.i 
hundred yards of the fire, where they halted and made a careful sur- 
vey of the camp. They discovered that horses were tied north of the 
fire, that two horses were tied south of the fire, and that one horse 
was tied west of the fire and that tlieir position was east , of the fire. 
The Indians that rode the horses that were tied south of the fire 
and the one that rode the one tied west of the fire seemed to be on 
guard, as they walked about to the fire and back to the horses, and 
their movements indicated that they were placed on watch, and the 
horse that was west of the fire vras from every appearance Jim 
Brown's race horse, Gray Eagle, and his rider was a woman. The 
other five Indians were busy around the fire cooking beef which they 
had killed when they made the halt. There were others out attending 
to the horses that they had ridden through the day. All the liorses 
that were tied around the fire were fresh horses- for the Indians to get 



64 CAPTAIN JEFF, OR 



away on in case they were overtaken. As they were so busy cooking, 
our party saw that plenty of time was given them to mature their plan 
of attack. It was plain to be seen from his size that Big Foot's horse 
was south of the fire and in all probability his lieutenant's also, as 
they two, with the women, were on guard as their every movement 
indicated. 

Captain Jeff, speaking in a low tone said, "Cor])or;il Sackett, you 
stay with me, I will take Big Foot and you take his lieutenant, and 
then we will capture the squaw. Lieutenant, you take all the other 
men and take everything at the fire and north of the fire, and 
when we start, don't hollow, let's get right out ; then before they know 
it, and now go." And the charge was sudden and desperate in strict 
keeping with the Texas Ranger. 

Let us follow Captain Jeff and Corporal Henry Sackett while 
they charge south of the fire after their select game, while Lieut. Best 
with the others charge north of the fire. At the sound of the horses" 
feet Big Foot and his lieutenant sprang to their horses, but before Big 
Foot could mount, Captain Jeff's six shooter spoke its voice of death 
and Big Foot's horse fell dead. Big Foot then turned and aimed 
his Spencer rifle, but before he could pull the trigger Caj^tain Jeff's 
pistol spoke again and it's leaden messenger of death went to the 
mark knocking the hammer off of the Indian's gun and driving it into 
his cheek, then glanced down striking him in the jugular vein and 
breaking his neck. The blood spurted high and Big Foot fell to rise 
no more. His career of crime ended, and the warnings of the still 
small voice were verified. 

Just at this juncture the Captain saw the glistening of a knife 
as the little squaw cut the rope that bound Gray Eagle. With one 
bound she lit astride the horse; she looked back with a frightened 
but determined look, the light of the fire fully reflected on her fea- 
tures and at the same time she gave Gray Eagle a sharp, keen cut 
witli his quirt, and was gone with the speed of the wind, but not be- 
fore a keen eye had marked the direction which she took, and the 
Captain said, "Now Selum here is your chance to try your full 
metal." The noble horse seemed to know what was expected of him, 
and setting his eyes and ears on the flying object he bounded for- 
ward as if to do or die in the struggle of speed, blood and eutluranee. 
His rider held him firm and hard so that he would not over jump 




BIG FOOT, THE NOTED KIv')WA CHIEF. 



FRONTIER LIFE IN TEXAS' 65 



l^iimself at tlie start, for ho bad every confidence in blood of man or 
borse. Tbe race was up one of tlie beautiful valleys of Valley Creek 
without rock or bush and nothing to fear except the numerous prairie 
dog holes that these valleys arc noted for. 

For the first half mile Selum held his own with the almost flying 
Gray Eagle, and each jump after that distance lessened the space 
between the two horses, and at the distance of about one mile Selum 
had closed up along by the side of Gray Eagle and his rider. At 
that moment the little woman raised her arm to strike with the knife 
that she still held in her hand, but before she could strike the Cap- 
tain struck her arm with a sudden blow from the heel of his clenched 
fist and the knife fell to the ground. He then leaned forward and 
straightened out his arm to grasp tbe bridle, but at that moment 
Sclimrs riglit forefoot jihiiiged into a prairie dog liole and he fell 
v.itli such force that he slid forward on the ground, and the 
Ciplain was t! rown ten oi' (iftee!i feet iii bis advance and struck the 
ground with such force that 1 c was knocked senseless. How long 
he remained in that condition le does not know, but when conscious- 
ness partly returned to him he raised biniself to a sitting position, 
wondering where he was and how he got there. 

Finally be rose to his feel a.iid I'uhhcd himself to see iL' he was 
altogether without broken bones, and tlien everything came back to 
him, the fight, the race, and his bending forward to catch the bridle 
gf the "pretty little squaw," and then everything was a blank. After 
he recovered he looked around and saw his horse Selum resting his 
weight on three feet, his right fore foot merely touching the ground. 
The Captain walked up to him and gently patting him on the neck 
said, "Selum, are you hurt?" He uttered his low peculiar whinny, 
which he was accustomed to do when his rider petted and patted him. 
Captain Jeff then said, "Selum, my boy, you made a noble run for 
Gray Eagle and his rider but the fates, in this instance, as in many 
others, were against us, and 1 suppose we will have to submit to 
their decision, and let Gray Eagle carry the little squaw to Fort 
Sill to report to tl e Quaker agenls that the big Kiowa chief did not 
get away with captives, scalps or horses this time. Come on, my 
boy, and we will go back and get tb.e report of the boys, and I will 
eat some of that good beef old Big Foot was having cooked for us, 
for he did not know tluit tliere would he a 'slip hetween the cup and 

4 



66 CAPTAIN JEFF, OR 



the lip,' l)iit such tliei'c is witli ;il] of ns.'' So saying, he walked 
back, Selum followiiio^. linipin^^ along as best he roiilrl. 

When he got back to the Indian fire where the charge was made, 
all the other boys had done their work and were anxiously awaiting 
his return and they greeted him with a prolonged cheer. 

He said, "Bravo ! Boys, I see you are all here, and I see too that 
Big Foot and some of his braves are here, but they are hors de com- 
bat at last, and as we can't do anything with onr horses bere where 
they smell the blood of these Indians, gather up a lot of that barbe- 
cued beef and we will go down the creek a piece to where we can 
quiet our horses, eat something and all make our reports," which pro- 
gram was carried out at once. A camp was soon selected, horses cared 
for, guards placed, supper eaten, and the Captain then said, "Now for 
the reports; Corporal Sackett, as you went with me to the south of 
the fire, we will hear yonr report first." 

Corporal Henry Sackett's report: 

The Indiau tluit was on guard witli Big Foot was allotted to 
me didn't run and try to mount his horse, but stood firm, and when 
I got in some thirty feet of him he shot with his bow and ray horse 
fell, and as my horse fell I fired at him and he dropped his bow; 
when my horse fell I sprang to my feet and he was running to the 
creek bank, and just as he was disappearing in the bushes on the 
creek bank I took the best aim I could and fired. I thought he 
fell forward, but when I got to the place he was gone." 

Lieut. Best's report: 

According to orders we charged north of the fire. The five Indians 
that were cooking sprang for their horses, two of them fell before they 
goi to ttieir horses, the other three succeeded in mounting and as 
their horses were fresh ones and good ones at that, they just simply 
outian us. We tried to bring them^ down as they ran, but we do nut 
know whether we hit any of them or not. As the Captain's report has 
already been written in this connection, we think it just to give 
more than a passing notice to Corporal Henry Sackett. He was a 
young English gentleman, not only by birth and education, but a 
gentleman in every sense of the word, and had been schooled in 
horsemanship in the "old country," in riding fox and steeple chases, 
and was endowed by nature with all the requisites to make him a 
dashing and chivalrous Texas Ranger. To the other boys who were 



FRONTIER LIFE IN TEXAS. 67 



to the )nan(>r bori; such oci'uiTf'iifes as herein recorded were as a 
matter of course as they always run the Indians one way or another. 

Next morning on examination of the battle ground Big Foot and 
his horse lay side by side, two other Indians lay between the fire 
and where their horses were tied. On examination of the spot where 
Sackett's Indian went down the bank of the creek blood was found, 
and on further search a moan was heard and the party uttering the 
moan was found which proved to be Sackett's Indian. 

He spoke good Spanish and asked for water which was soon 
brought to him. He drank heartily and it seemed to relieve him. 

Mexican Joe was called up and he and the Captain (the Captain 
spoke good Spanish and Joe good English) questioned him. 

He said that he was a Conianche and that the dead chief was 
a Kiowa; he said his own nan^e was Jape or Japey, but he could 
not be persuaded in any way to tell the chief's name. He said they 
l;id left Fort Sill a few days h(^t'()re and that for many years they 
I ad been comiiig down into tl c scttk'nu'nts killing. ca])turing and 
robbing the settlers; tl.at they were the party that killed the Johnson 
family, the Blaylock family, Bill Williams' family and killed Tom 
Milligan in Mason county so near his house, and captured and carried 
iliss Tod into captivity, and had carried orie of Bill Williams' little 
girls some two hundred miles and hung Icr l)y t1ie neck to a tree 
limb and left her hanging. This proved to be true for a party fol- 
lowed the Indians and found tlie little girl just as the Indian said. 
At this juncture of his confession Bill Williams drew his gun to 
shoot him in the head but he was prevented from doing so as every 
indication showed that he could live but a few minutes longer, 
for Sackett's shot was fatal. As soon as the breath left his body 
Hill Williams scalped him, and nobody could 1)lame him for it. 
Meader, would vou dcpi'iN'c such little i-cxcugc of that hciilbrokcn 
husband and father ? 

Mexican Joe scalped the others and seemed very proud of his 
trophies. The other Indians did not get away with any horses save 
tht ones they rode, so the Capiain and Sackett had several to pick 
from and they got very good mounts, and moved slowly back to 
camp, Selum limping along following. 

Cheer after cheer rent the air when our little party of nine rode 
into headquarters camp all well and sound in body and limb, 



68 CAPTAIN JEFF, OR 



brin<i-ing witli tlicm the tro})hies of their victory at hist over the band 
that had eluded their grasp so many times. 

The wiley chief's arms and marks of rank were hung up by his 
scalp as attests that his raids were indeed ended. His arms con- 
sisted of a Spencer breechloading rifle, a Remington army six- 
shooter, bow and arrow, beautifully decorated, butcher knife and 
shield. 

Ornaments of rank — First, breast ornament made out of the sec- 
ond joints of human fingers of those he had killed in battle and 
otlierwise tothe numljer of eiglit joints; second, line head-dress of 
eagle feathers and white women's hair. 



CHAPTER Vni. 

And now, kind reader, the long and cherished object of this 
company was at last accomplished, to-wit: the breaking up and par- 
tial destruction and total annihilation of a band of the most success- 
ful, daring and desperate Indians commanded by Big Foot, the 
Kiowa chief, and Jape, the Comanche, who were protected and shield- 
ed by the U. S. Government and its Quaker agents, knowingly or 
unknowingly, long after they were placed on the Fort Sill reservation, 
and the government is in duty bound to justly indemnify settlers for 
their losses of property and deaths that they sustained by the hands 



FRONTIER LIFE IN TEXAS. 69 

of the wards of the government, the Kiowas and Comanches, located at 
Fort Sill in the Indian Eeservation bordering on the line of Texas 

It is now October in the details of our narative, and the weather 
i^; getting cold, and our eoniniander ever on the alert for the good 
of his men as well as the public service, ordered a scout of twenty 
men, with wagon and team, for the double purpose of making a 
scout and at the same time killing buffaloes for tlieir hides to spread 
in the tents to sleep on. 

The third evening after leaving camp on Elm creek some ten 
miles above where the town of Balinger now stands, buffaloes were 
discovered in abundance, and the scout camped at once for the night 
as the spot was a beautiful place for camp purposes. 

The next morning the Captain left two men to guard the camp 
and took twenty men with him and rode to an elevation that over- 
looked the valleys and there to their delight was quietly grazing in 
the valley near them a large heard of mostly old bulls, the very 
kind that furnish the best hides for what they, wanted. 

Here the Captain placed nine men under Seigeant Mather and ten 
under Sergeant Moreland and fold them to charge the big fellows and 
see which party could kill the most, saying, "I will keep Bill 
Williams here with me on guard. We can see all over the country 
with our field glasses." And now, reader, lend me your imaginations 
t' help })i(ture this never-to-be-forgotten buffalo charge. Imagine 
ninete(>n young, dashing, Texas Rangers, mounted on superb, fleet- 
footed horses, well trained to hattle and firearms each man armed 
with a breechloading Sharp's carbine and a Colt's army six-shooter, 
and each man ambitious of distinction and desirous of applause. See 
them dashing down a beautiful little slope for some two hundred 
yards with the speed of a hurricane to a nice smooth valley that was 
covered with a monarcli herd of buffaloes that were so taken by sur- 
prise by the suddenness of the charge that they could not run in any 
particidar direction, consequently the Rangers had buffaloes before 
them, buffaloes behind them, l)uffaloes between them, and hail never 
fell faster than leaden pellets of death and pain entered the bodies 
Of those victims of man's greed and cruelty. And now the fight 
is on in earnest. The old bulls, maddened with pain, lower their 
heads, raise their tails liigh in the air and lunge with speed and des- 
peration at their assailants, but the fleet-footed horse, quick eye and 



70 CAPTAIN JEFF, OR 

lioi-st'iuansliij) of his Ti.lcr eludes tie mad plunge in every instance; 
iinalh' some of the bnifaloes h^ad oti' and the I'est follow them. Each 
man tlien selects a fine sjiecimen and each pursnes his victim 
until the nineteen selected specimens are brought down. Bill Dun- 
man, not to be outdone, roped a fine one and tied it to a tree for 
breakfast next morning. 

After the heard had moved off tlie ground where they were first 
attacked, two monarchs of the herd that had escaped unhurt remained 
on the ground with he.uls and tails high, rearing, pitching, sniffing. 
pawing and bellowing, as much as to say, "come and tackle us," 
which banter was more than human nature could stand and our 
Captain did what he never allowed one of his men to do and go un- 
pimished (broke his orders). In this instance he said, "Bill (to 
the man he had kept with him on guard), we'll go and kill them two 
big fellows that seem to be daring us; I will take that l)ig fellow 
on the left, his hide is m.ine; you take the other for your hide." 
So saying, the dash was made, and in five seconds Selum took his 
rider close to the side of the monster of his kind, and a ball was 
driven into his body behind the shoulder, and another and another; 
when the huge bull lowered his head and threw his tail high in the 
air and made a lunge at Selum (such as no other animal that ever 
lived could make), the horse was the twinkling of an eye the quick- 
est; he raised Selum's tail on his horns and the horse and rider passed 
beyond his reach. 

This fight as it were was kept up with many repetitions of the 
first attack until the Captain had loaded and emptied his six-shooter 
three timies and aiming for each shot to take effect just behind the 
animal's left four shoulder. The shots were all fired at no greater 
distance than from ten to thirty feet, and he was considered the best 
shot with a six-shooter either running or standing in the company 
or out of it. So when he had shot the monster eighteen times and 
ho still fought as determinedly as he did at first, the Captain became 
superstitious and thought the spirit of Big Foot or some other demon 
had entered into whatever it was, and that it could not be killed, so 
he slowly rode off and didn't get the hide to adorn his tent. 

By the time he got back to where the slaughter commenced the 
boys had all killed each one his picked buffalo and had assembled 
for further orders. One man was dispatched back to camp for wagon 



FRONTIER LIFE IN TEXAS. 71 



and team, butcher knives, whetstones, etc., and the skinning was com- 
nijenced and kept up until the wagon was loaded down with the best 
of buffalo hides, and moved back to camp late in the evening. The 
camp was put in military order, which was always the first thing 
with this company, whether there was danger of Indians or not. A 
bountiful supper was prepared and eaten, as their appetites had been 
keenly whetted by the exciting scenes and labors of the day. 

After supper the Captain said : "Boys, it has been my painful 
duty on some occasions to punish some of you for disobedience of 
orders, and I broke my own orders to-day, as you all remember. I 
placed myself and Bill Williams on guard while you were to kill 
bii.ifaloes, and then I left my j)ost of duty, wliich is a very serious 
charge in military discipline, and as there is no higher officer here to 
assess my punishment, I herewith appoint all of you as a military 
court o pass sentence on nie for violating orders." They all sj)okG 
a.-^ one man : "Why, Captain, we all would have done what you did 
had we been placed in your position." But said he, "That does not 
alter the case, an order has been broken, and the offender must be 
punished. Military law and the spirit of Christianity are strictly at 
variance, and all well-balanced and thinking minds should devoutly 
pray for the time to come spoken of by the meek and lowly Nazarene 
that the sword should be beaten into the ploughshare and the spear 
into the pruning hook, and that man should learn war no more, but 
until that timses does come military law, like the laws of the Medes 
and Persians, must be ineoraljic. As you all are in a position to 
practice the spirit of forgiveness, I am not so situated, and as com- 
mander of this company, if I break my own orders, I must undergo 
the same punishment that I would have been compelled to have 
meted out to any one of you; therefore I put myself on solitary spy 
duty for two days, while you all stretch the hides and prepare them 
to be taken back to camp." 

So the next morning the Captain saddled his horse, took a canteen 
ox water and a lunch for his dinner and rode some two miles to an 
elevation that gave a good view of the surrounding country, and with 
his field glasses he vigilantly scanned the surroundings until the sun 
was set when he mounted and rode back to camip where he was 
greeted by many exclamations of respect by his men, for in this in- 
stance the lesson was fully demonstrated why the Captain had always 



72 CAPTAIN JEFF, OR 



o\ac'ted a strict obedience to all orders, as that is the first requisite 
to success in all military organizations, and that he had never de- 
manded double duty of any of them tliat he was not bound to per- 
form if he violated his own orders. Then they all said : "We will 
all try never to break an order under any circumstances; but should 
our human nature be too weak to stand the ordeal under which we 
may be placed, we will never think it a hardship or degrading to 
perform extra duty commensurate with the offense, as you have so 
manfully and honorably explained." 

The next morning the Captain carried out to the letter his duty 
of the day before and his servitude for violating his own orders waa 
completed. On his return into camp that evening he said : 

"Boys, for my part, I don't care how soon the order comes for 
us to be mustered out of this service. We have accomplished the 
main point or the particular object that caused me to accept a com- 
mission to raise and command this company, as you all know it was 
tu utterly break up Big Foot and his bloody band of Kiowas and 
Comanches that have been depredating upon our homes, lives and 
property for so many years, and since the C'ivil War have been pro- 
tected by the United States Government and its Quaker agents, 
which is proven by the dying confession of old Jape, and the many 
nice blankets branded U. S. that we captured with them. I told 
my wife when I left home that my destiny in this last drama of 
soldier life for the last nine years was to be filled, and as the preach- 
ers say I was called to perform a certain work, and that when that 
was accomplished, I would return to her and the children sound in 
body and mind, mounted on my horse Selum, and would find them 
all well ; and my guardian spirit seems to say that very soon we will 
have an opportunity to return to our homes and their loved inmates." 

The next morning the hides were packed in the wagon and in two 
Jays headquarters camp was reached, and as tlie (*aptain liad pre- 
dicted, there was an order from the Adjutant General's office to Cap- 
tain Jeff to leave twenty-five men in charge of Second Lieutenant 
Foster and to report to Adjutant General's office with the balance of 
the company for final settlement. 

The next day the men were given an opportunity to volunteer to 
stay and only twenty-five would stay. The next thing was an equal 
distribution of the trophies taken in battle. The Captain put thein 



FRONTIER LIFE IN TEXAS. 73 



up in separate articles to the highest bidder, only members of the 
company being allowed to bid, he excluding himself from the con- 
test, although he very much wanted Big Foot's paraphernalia, and 
he said long afterwards that he would have willingly bid one hun- 
dred dollars for them, but he did not want his men to know that 
he would take advantage of them by being able to outbid them. The 
sales were all made and they am\ounted to one hundred and eleven 
dollars, which was equally divided pro rata among all the men and 
hif. command of Company E, Texas Rangers was duly turned over 
to Lieutenant Foster, and he and his fifty men, who had prepared 
to go out of service with him, bade a kindly adieu to their comrades 
and in a few days presented themselves to Adjutant General Steel 
for discharge and final settlement; and they were highly compliment- 
ed by said officer for doing valuable and efficient service. In this 
connection it is due the men to show the esteem in which they held 
their Captain. They bought the finest suit of clothes that could be 
found in the city of Austin, costing seventy-five dollars, took them 
to the hotel and compelled him to put them' on and parade the streets 
with them. Two days after this Selum proudly carried his rider up 
to his front gate, the home in tact, and the noble wife and sweet 
children well and happy, with all the whisperings of the "still small 
voice" fully and completely verified. And so ends the military 
career of the man of whom we write, and so to speak, he fulfilled 
his promise to his devoted wife — he beat his pistol into the plough 
share and his sword into the pruning hook and tries to learn war 
no more. Shortly after this he moved from Burnet County, where 
he was so unjustly persecuted. 



74 CAPTAIN JEFF, OR 



CHAPTER IX. 

Header, go back with me while we chronicle very briefly a few 
incidents in the life of this man before this recital began. 

Jn 1846 and 1847 he was a volunteer in Captain Felch's Com- 
pany, Gray's Battalion, Arkansas Volunteers. In 1849 to 1855, in- 
clusive, he was in the Quartermaster's employ, U. S. A. as teamster, 
carpenter, wagonmnster, scout, (lis})atc'li-l)carcr, etc., and, like David 
Copperfield, "doer of all odd jobs." He was at the location and 
helped to build most of the old Government posts on the frontier 
of Texas. In 1855 he was sent on a scout with Major EufF, of the 
U. S. Rifles, to guard the road running from San Antonio to El Paso 
and near Eagle Springs the command had a fight with the Muscalry 
Indians, in which ten of the Indians were killed. He captured a 
little girl child, its mother having been killed in the figl.t. 

He took fatherly care of the little captive for some mouths. When 
the command reached San Elizario, a little Mexican town on the 
Rio Grande, he bought material to make it some clothes and gave 
it to a Mexican woman, as he could not take care of it on the long 
scout that was before them. Some timfe after this he wrote to inquire 
about his little captive. He was informed that it had sickened and 
died and its little spirit had taken its flight to a better world, where 
no doubt its murdered iiiutliei- stood on the shore with open arms to 
receive the spirit of her little girl. 

We now return and follow him to the place which he has se- 
lected for his new home. It i? a beautiful basin near the geograph- 
ical center of Callahan County, Texas. It is almost completely sur- 
rounded by the most beautiful and picturesque little mountains, and 
he christened it Mountain Pell, and to this lovely spot of God^s 
green earth he has devoted his time and talents to the making of a 



FRONTIER LIFE IN TEXAS. 75 



lovely home. Here he has planted, pruned and cultivated with his 
own hands everything that is pleasing to the eye, fragrant to the 
smell or delicious to the palate. His house is well arranged, large 
and commodious, and is presided over with ease and grace and dig- 
nity hy the same noble woman that has been his mainstay, comforter 
and counsellor through all the varying scenes which he lias been 
called to pass through. 

And now in the evening of their well spent lives, reader, should 
you chance to visit them you will find them walking hand in hand 
through their orchard or vineyard or sitting on one of the many 
rustic seats under their own vine and fig tree, quietly worshiping 
the beneficent Creator for His bounties to them in giving them the 
opportunities and the desire to beautify the earth in the making of 
v.hat might be called a Home, as a stepping stone to that 

"Land that is fairer than day, 

And by faith they can see it afar. 
For the Father waits over the way, 

To prepare them a dweling place there," 

And should you chance to make this visit to Mountain Deli, 
methinks I hear you exclaim : "Verily, verily. Peace hath her victories 
as well as War, for here dwells the pioneer and enthusiastic horti- 
culturist of Callahan County, and the surrounding counties." And to 
give his sentiments we must quote him in his peroration before the 
Farmers' Institute in an address on grape culture. 

In closing his remarks he said : "Stock raising is the occupation 
of the barbarous and semi-barbarious nations of the earth. Manu- 
factories are the breeders of anarchism, alcoholism, poverty and 
crime, but agriculture and horticulture are the handmaidens of Law 
and Religion everywhere. You may admire the stockman and his 
broad acres, with his cattle grazing on a thousand hills; you may 
admire the factory with its thousands of busy spindles, but what 
civilizing influences do they possess? But who can stand beside the 
tree laden with its golden fruit or the vine with its purple cluster, 
or the rose in its superlative loveliness, without worshiping the God 

that gave such gifts to man?" 

In polities he is strictly Populistic, or Progressive, his religion 



76 CAPTAIN JEFF, OR 



is broad and reaches out to the ends of the earth, and embraces every 
kindred and tongue. 

And he here wishes to put in a protest against the Grand Jury 
of the present day. It may have been a wise institution for many, 
many years, but it has outlived its usefulness and should be relegated 
to the rear as one of the back numbers, for it is strictly at variance 
with the teachings of Christ while here on earth. 

He said : "It is better that ninety-nine guilty ones should go 
unpunished than for one innocent person to suffer." 

The Grand Jurors in most eases are well meaning men and the 
majority of them are members of some Christian church, and in 
their zeal they riwerse the teachings of Christ, and by their verdicts 
they virtually say : "It is better to make ninety-niiie innocent per- 
sons prove their innocence than one guilty man should go unpun- 
ished," and this is brought about in a great measure by the attorneys 
who are pecuniarily interested in the number of bills, and the real 
justness of the bills is of minor importance, for some of them get 
a small fee anyway. Again, it is praiseworthy in a Grand Jury that 
finds the bills on. the best of evidence, or the petit jury that couvict.s 
without the shadow of a doubt. 

It would be truly Christian in them to sign a petition for the 
unfortunate victim as King Mercy from the higher tribunals, keep- 
ing ever in view those beautiful words: 

"Teach me to feel another's woe, 

To hide the faults I see; 
That mercy I to others show. 

That mercy show to me," 

for when they have passed the sentence for conviction they have 
fully complied with the letter of the law, and the apostle Paul says: 
"The letter of the law killeth, but the Spirit of the law giveth ever- 
lasting life. The Spirit of the law and the Spirit of Christianity is 
forgiveness, that we in turn be forgiven l)y the autlior of it, noed;* 
be that offenses must come," whovchy a standard of riglit could be 
established. 

Again he thinks that capital punishment is wrong, and should 
be abolished, for if the laws of the United States had never adopted 
the cruel penalty of hanging, then mob law in this direction would 



FRONTIER LIFE IN TEPAS. 77 



have been unknown and never resorted to. Tn this instance the 
passage of Scripture is fully illustrated that sayeth, "The parents 
eat sour grapes and the children's teeth are on edge." 

Every man that the creative power allows to be born into this 
world and commits a crime should be allowed one chance to reprieve 
his fallen character, "for of such is the kingdom of Heaven." And 
now our little narrative is drawing to a close; it has not been written 
to point a moral or adorn a tale, but to chronicle in a plain, brief 
way some unwritten facts which have contributed their "widow's 
mite" in making West Texas what it is today, and if perchance it 
should be read by some young men and women and they should try 
to emulate the peaceful pursuits of these worthy old people, then 
the world will be bettered by their having lived in it. And know, 
dear reader, they bid you a kind adieu, while they wait for the call 
from the Land of the Leal where they expect to sit down and smoke 
the pipe of peace with Big Foot and all the nations of the earth, 
fully recognizing and acknowledging the universal Fatherhood of 
God and brotherhood of man. 



CAFT. MALTBY HONORED 79 



Capt. Maltby Honored. 



Captain W. J. Maltby, Admiral, Texas: My Dear Captain — At 
a meeting in the city of Dallas, some time back, by the Ex-Rangers 
of this State, I had the pleasure of nominating you as historian, 
which was agreed to. ! have no doubt that you have been duly 
notified of your selection for this important position, and truly hope 
you will acept it. 

While it was only my pleasure to have been one of your com- 
mand for a few months, as a member of Company E, Frontier Bat- 
talion, my association with you fully satisfied me that you had, from 
actual experience, a vast storehouse of information relating to fron- 
tier life, which, if portrayed on paper, would be very interesting to 
those who wish to read it. 

The many risks and hazards tlie early frontiersman had to con- 
tend with, taking his life constantly in his hands, living on the con- 
fines of civilization, helping and assisting in rendering more secure 
the lives and pro})erty of tliose who were pushing along at your 
very heels, feeling assured hy tl'c knowledge that in front of them 
liAed men inured to frontier IMV, safeguarding their lives and prop- 
erty, without fear or care, Iroiii tlie encroachment of raiding and des- 
perate bands of Indians- -tl, is you can surely portray. While thi- 
history of the frontier of Texas, from the Kio Grande on the South 
to the Red River on tlie N'orth, inseparably binds together the livej-' 
of the hardy frontiersman and the Texas Ranger as one, their many 
deeds of valor and daring, if written, will speak of the many grand 



80 CAPT. MALTBY HONORED. 



oV. heroes that fought and fell ; also of those who, in some marvelous 
way, escaped alive, though battle-scarred. And amongst these your 
name, as one who had risked his all in the many and various trials 
incident thereto, will stand with the foremost as having donated your 
full quota of service in assisting to develop the Western part of 
Texas, making life and property safe and secure as it now is, to-day, 
unequaled in any other part of the State. The history of the ser- 
vices rendered by the Texas Eanger to this great State of ours is, or 
would be, if fully portrayed, of the greatest interest to many citizens 
of our great State. Many to-day, living safe and secure in their 
quiet country homes, would kindly remember and do honor to those 
who, by devotion to duty, by constant, continuous service, as Eangcrs, 
ready to cope with any emergency, at any time or place, had made 
possible these conditions, repeating the history of the growth and 
development of all of this great country of ours from the l)eginning. 

It would seem that in the years 1874 and 1.S75, during Governor 
Coke's administration, the most efficient and effective Eanger service 
was furnished by the State, and her Frontier Battalion, under jM'ajor 
John B. Jones' command, finally and for all time served notice on 
the raiding bands of Indians that their day of raiding, stealing and 
killing on the frontier of Texas was forever and eternally a thing of 
the past. The rapid settlement and organization of about twenty- 
five counties (1 think) on the line of the battalion'*) base of action. 
CO- incident with this date, is surely proof enough that the State was 
effectually cleared of any Indian danger and that the newly-opened 
country was safe and secure to all comers. Company E, which you 
commanded, and of which I was one, svirely did its full duty, equal at 
least to the duties performed by the other five com])anies. 

To you and men of your type distinctly belong the honor and 
credit, fontiersman and ranger, of effectualy driving from our fron- 
tier the hostile Indian who tried men's souls. I take off my hat in 
honor to such men, tried and true, and never found wanting. 

Captain, 1 hope to live to enjoy reading your reminiscences, if 
you decide to write them. With the highest personal regards, I beg 
to remain your friend, Henry Sackett. 

Admiral. Texas, Dec. 17. 1904. 










i H ; 



JAPE, THE COrvT.\NCnE 



BOOK II. 



Capt. Maltby's Reminiscences. 



6 



REMINISCENCES. 



Capt. Maltby's Reminiscences. 



CHAPTER L 



The first ninn with wlioni 1 shall (!c;il in this article is ]\Iajor 
Jones, cojiiinander of the Frontier Uattalion. 

lie was a man endowed with e\eeile;il jddLiinent, Ins bravery 
was iinquestiotied, and lie soon |iro\('d hinisell' in e\erv way (jiiali- 
Hed to till the responsii)Ie position to wliieli (lovernor Coke hud ap 
pointed liini. On his lii-st visii lo the I'auip of ('oin|)any E. whiidi 
camp was (Ui Clear Creek, some twchc miles west of the present 
town of Erownwood, he calh'(I on me lor six men to Conn part of 
his escort. He also ealied on tie other eompanies for a like num- 
ber of men to form a scout from one company to the other, and 
this scout passed contiuiM.nisly liack and forth along the line, and 
made one of the most effective patrols ever institued on the frontier. 
(Jn the Major's first tri|i alonu I lie line a hand of one hundred 
Indians, all of them well armed, char;.';ed into his command, and 
here his coolness, bravery and excellent judgment saved his company 
from a comj)lete annihilation, lie succeeded in getting his men into 
a ravine and \\hi|)|!ed the Indians oil'. In this fight each of the 
SIX men from ('ompany E liad his horse shot from unrler him, 
and one of the men was seve'-ely wounded in the leg. The fight 
was known as the Las Valley fight. 

Jack Hays commanded the first company of IJangers that was 
armed with Colt's five shooters and cap and ball pistols. The ter- 



84 REMINISCENCES. 



ritory that he ranged over was from San Antonio north and west over 
the waters of the Medina Rio, Frea Hondo, Savinal Nueces, etc., and 
he did as valuable services in the years of 1844 and 1845 as ever 
has been done for the frontier of Texas. In 1846 he was ordered 
with his Company to join Gen. Taylor with his company who was 
then rendezvousing on the Eio Grande preparatory to making his 
advance into Mexico. When Capt. Hays presented himself and com- 
pany to Gen. Taylor for duty, the general was well posted in the in- 
trepidity of Captain Hays and his company, which was then known 
and recognized as Texas Rangers. Gen. Taylor had immediate use 
for Capt. Hays and his intrepid Rangers, so he placed them on duty 
as his particular Spy Company to penertate the enemy's country, to 
locate their army, to watch and dog their movements, and report to 
him from time to time with such information as might be valuable 
to him in his advance, and this service could not have been allotted 
to a more valiant, worthy and intrepid men than Jack Hays and 
his Texas Rangers. Before the battle of Palo Alto the General 
sent Hays out to reconnoitre the Mexican's position, and in this in- 
stance Captain Hays' headlong intrepidity caused him to penetrate 
so far into the Mexican lines that before he was aware of the fact, 
a large force of Mexican cavalry had him almost surrounded and cut 
off from Gen. Taylors army. This was the most trying place that 
our Captain had ever been in, and probably the first time in his 
life he ever tried to pray, but as something had to be done, and 
that quick, he offered up this prayer to Almighty God : "Be on our 
side if you can, but if you can't, for Christ's sake don't be on theirs. 
But stand off on one of these hills and look, and you'll see the 
damdest fight you ever saw in your life." And in place of saying 
"Amen !" he said "Charge, boys ! Charge !" and they burst their way 
through the Mexican lines like a hurricane through a canebrakc, with 
the loss of only three men killed and four wounded, none mortally. 

Captain Jack Hays' descriptive list would read thus (at the time 
that the writer formed his acquaintance, which was at San Antonio 
in 1852 or 1853) : 35 years of age, 6 feet high, spare build, weight 
150 or IGO, rather dark comiilexion, and hv oceupj'+ion a bona fide 
Texas Ranger. 

Capt. William (alias Big Foot) Wallace, was one of the grand and 
noble old Romans that contributed more than the "widow's mite" 



REMINISCENCES. 85 

in wrestling from the bloody and barbarous Comanche and Kiowa 
Indians this fair land of West Texas, that is destined in the near 
future to be the happy and prosperous home of thousands and tens 
of thousands of happy and contented people. C^aptain Wallace was 
one of the unfortunate Mier prisoners who were subject to the 
brutality of Santa Anna, "the Napoleon of the West," as he termed 
himself, to which reference is made in Mrs. Anna J. H. Penny- 
backer's History of Texas, page 112 to 116, which shows that Capt. 
Wallace was one of the fortunates that drew a white bean for his 
life. Capt. Wallace participated in all the memorable battles of 
'46 and '47 under Gen. Taylor and meted out to the enemy a just 
reward for their barbarous cruelties to himself and his comrades 
while they were Mier prisoners. 

After the war of 1846-7, Capt. Wallace made his home on the 
Madena west of San Antonio, and gave most of his time and talent 
to the protection of that section which was continually raided by 
Indians and Mexican outlaws. When the overland stage was started 
from San Antonio to El Paso Capt. Wallace was employed to take 
command of the expedition. This was very hazardous and none 
but the toughest, most daring and resoluate men were employed to 
go as guards and mule whackers, as some five hundred miles of this 
road was exposed to the continued depredations of the Indians. 

On one of these trips a man by the name of Jim Clark was 
employed for his man eating qualities. Captain gave him some 
order to which he took offense whereupon he whipped out his six 
shooter in a bullying and braggadocio manner. The only notice Capt. 
Wallace made to Clark's beligerent action was to speak in his slow, 
drol manner and say, "Jim, you'd better put up that gun, damn 
fools and boys have no business to fool with pistols, for they are 
liable to let them go off accidentally and hurt somebody." The 
writer kept the stage stand at Fort Clark and on the return trip 
Clark told me the incident just as written. Clark said: "That 
cooked me more than anything that ever happened to me, and it has 
learned me a lesson, that I will never draw my pistol on a brave 
man again, and I would follow old Big Foot wherever he leads, yes, 
to the jumping off place, and if it needs be, jump off with him." 

Capt. Wallace had perfect command over himself and all those 
that were placed under him. The stage was attacked several times 



86 REMINISCENCES. 



while in charge of Capt. Wallace, but his bravery and good general- 
ship always whipped the Indians olf. and l.e In-onght in the mail 
on regular time. 

In the year 1856 Capt. Wallace went in charge of a large train 
of eight mule teams loaded with merchandise from San Antonio to 
Chihuahua. On his return trip the writer fell in with him at Old 
Fort Lancaster on the Pecos river and traveled with him some two 
hundred miles, and one night while sitting in camp I said to Capt. 
Wallace, "how did you get the name of "Big Foot?" Your foot is 
in fair proportions to your size, as a man." He replied, "well, as 
we have been acquainted for some years, and you know that I am 
not given to boasting of deeds perforined when and where I could 
not help myself. 1 will tell you." 

"For years I was one of a party that followed the Indians when 
they raided our country and from time to time the trails showed that 
one of them made a much larger track than the others and it was 
generally supposed that he was the Big Foot Indian and "rnucha 
bravo." Well, to make a long story short, the Indians came in and 
killed two or three persons, and stole a bunch of horses and struck 
out as usual. We gathered up some fifteen men and struck out after 
them. We pressed hard after them for five days when we camped 
just at, or near dark, and about the same time some of our party 
discovered a fire around the bend of the creek; it was then decided 
that we all keep perfectly quiet and not make any fire, and I pro- 
posed to go very^ stealthily forward, and spy out the camp and its 
surroundings, which I started to do. 

At once mv course was up a narrow, shallow ravine that was 
rather smooth in the bottom, with thick brush on each side. About 
half way from where 1 started to the Indian fire, the little ravine 
mt\-\e a short, abrupt turn, and then went on up to w^here the 
Indians were camping. I suppose that about the time that I started 
to spy out the Indian camp, the big Indian started back to find out 
if they were followed. At all events, we met just at the short turn in 
the ravine. I can't tell how it was, or why, unless it was so ordered 
but it seemed as if by mutual consent we both dropped our guns 
and rushed together. I threw my entire weight and strength against 
him, wliich forced him back. His foot caught on some obstruction 
and we fell, my whole weight on his breast, whieh seemed for the 



REMINISCENCES. 87 



moment to have knocked the breath out of him. In an instant I 
drew my knife and drove it into his breast, once, twice, thrice, with 
all the speed and strength that I could command, and he died with- 
out a groan. I rose to my feet trembling and perfectly exhausted, 
and 1 fervently tried to thank Kind Providence for allowing me to 
draw another white hean. I picked up my gun and went slowly back 
to camp and by the time I got back to camp my strength and nerve 
had greatly revived, so much so that I was able to explain what 
had happened, and what I supposed would be the proper mode of 
making the advance on the Indians. 

My plan was approved and I said, "All follow me, and don't 
speak above a whisper or break a dry twig, if you can help it." We 
all moved cautiously up the little ravine that seemed to have been 
made for this special occasion, passed the curve and over the dead 
Indian, and straight forward to the Indian fire. 

We approached to within some one hundred yards of the fire 
without making any alarm, and hei"e we had a pretty good view of 
the fire around which eight buck Indians sat roasting beef. I whis- 
pered to my mo)i to take the very l)est aim they cuul I and at the crack 
of my gun to all fire, which was nicely done, and four big bucks 
fell over, some of them into the fire, the other four sprang to their 
fi-et, dashed into the thick brush, and were gone. We reloaded our 
guns, and walked up to the fire, picked up the sticks of meat tliey 
were cooking, left tlie dead Indians just as they fell, and went back to 
our horses, unsaddled them, each man staked out bis own horse, 
sat down by him, ate his piece of iTidian beef and remained in tli;it 
position until morning. 

When good daylight came we saddled up, went around the way 
the Indians went the evening before and rode up to the fire, where 
everything was just as we left it, only the Indians that fell in the fire 
were pretty well cooked. As our appetites had no cravings for 
such meat, and as there was plenty of good beef hanging on a tree 
that was left the evening before, we each one cut a piece to suit 
himself, tied it to his saddle and then moved down the fatal little 
ravine (to the Indian). 

When we got down to the curve where I drew my second white 
bean, on examination we found that my special antagonist of last 
night was the Big Foot Indian, and so the men with one accord 



88 REMINISCENCES. 



hurrahed for Captain "Big Foot Wallace," and the name has stuck 
to rae ever since and I gratefully and tliankfully accept it as another 
"white bean" in the prolongation of my earthly existence." 

Descriptive list of C^apt. William (alias Big Foot) Wallace: Six 
feet two inches high, weight two hundred to two hundred and 
twenty-five pounds, beard and hair black and very heavy. Eyes blivi. 
and by occupation, like Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett, a frontiers- 
man, and one of Cod's noblemen. His disposition was that of a 
child, in peace, but terrible and destructive as a lion in war. 



CHAPTER II. 

Col. John S. (Rip) Ford. To follow this man through the bat- 
tles of the Mexican war of 1846 and 1847, and his councils in 
peace in the legislative halls, and his prowess as a soldier on the 
battlefield as a Texas Ranger in Central and West Texas, and 
the border troubles on the Rio Grande, would require a volume, and 
must be left to a more gifted pen than mine, although the writer has 
been with Col. Ford in some of his military expeditions when valuable 
service was performed for both the State and the Confederate States. 



REMINISCENCES. 89 



It will suffice to say that he as a minature Washington; first 
in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his frontiersmen. 
He seemed to carry a charmed life that was proof against shot. 
sl:ell, fire or the sword, for he passed through a long and eventful 
career with but little bodily harm, and died at a green and mellow old 
age, at his home, surrounded by a loving family and friends, and had 
the very highest respect of all who knew him personally, and left 
a bright and brilliant star in the galaxy of the Texas Ranger. 

Col. Ford's descriptive list: Six feet high, weight one hundred 
and seventy-five pounds. Compelxion light, blue eyes. Occupation, 
editor, doctor, representative, soldier, statesman, typical Texas 
lianffer. 



Gen. Henry McCullough, soldier ranger and patriot. This mari 
was another bright cloud that hung over the frontier of Texas for 
so many long and weary years. This man's service as a ranger, 
citizen and patriot was equal to any and inferior to none, and the 
name McCullough will be inscribed on the pages of Texas history 
as one of its grand and noble defenders. 

Here is a little incident in his life as related by himself in regard 
to the strength of the bridle having something to do with the speed 
of the horse, particularly when in pursuit of a deadly foe. 

Once upon a time when Captain McCullough commanded a com- 
pany of Rangers, he was in hot pursuit of a band of Indians when a 
Mexican fell in with him riding apparently a very worthless pony. 

The Captain said to him, ''Your pony is worthless and can't keep 
up." The Mexican replied: "Kin sava, senior, yo pienco K see." 

The Indians were soon sighted, and the Ranger charge was made, 
and as ridiculous as it may appear the Mexican's worthless little 
pony outran the Captain's horse from start to finish. After the 
fight was over the Captain inquired of the Mexican how it was 
possible for him to make such a pony out run his Kentucky horse. 
The Mexican rode up to him and with a quizzical expression beaming 



90 REMINISCENCES. 



from his every feature, and gently taking hold of his bridle said, 
"Me no have strong bridle like El Capitano." 

Gen. MicCullough was a man of strong individuality and dared 
to do what he thought was right regardless of the consequences. An 
instance of this came within the writer's own knowledge. 

In 1863 H. E. McCullough was made Brigadier General in the 
Confederate Army; Allen's, Waterhouse's, Eandall's and Flourney's 
regiments formed his brigade. They were formed into the brigade 
near Little Rock, x\rk., where Gen. McCullough issued an order that 
nc man should kill a hog, and that if any man was caught killing a 
hog he would have him dishonorably drummed out of tlie camp. 

A few days after, two men were caught killing a hog. The Gen- 
eral at once had the brigade formed in two lines facing each other, 
a space of say fifteen feet between them, placed the prisoners at the 
head of the column with four men of the guard in the attitude of 
charge bayonets behind them, and with drum and fife, had them 
marched dovrn the lines with music fitted to the words: 

"Poor old soldier, poor old soldier. 

Tarred and featlicred and sent to hell 
Because he broke an order," etc. "*- 

The General had the brigade formed into a hollow square facing 
inwards. He rode into this square and taking oft' his hat, said: 
"Officers and men of this jjrigadc, 1 am sorry that my sense of duty 
and discipline eom])elle(( me to carry our this see;ningly lyraiiiical 
order, but as commander of this brigade, mv orders must be obeyed as 
long as T command it. 1 hope the brigade will stand by me in doing 
what I conceived to be the best for the good of the service and the 
protection of the citizens and their property. If you do not approve 
of my actions, then I Avill stand alone in doing what 1 think is right. 
All that will stand by me will step one step forward." He then gave 
the command "march" and the entire brigade stepped one step for- 
ward, and he was imanimously exonerated. He still rode his fine 
Kentucky horse with a strong bridle. 

Descriptive list of Gen. Henry E. McCullough : Five feet 10 
inches high, light complexion, blue eyes; weight one hundred and 
fifty pounds. Occupation, farmer, stock raiser, ranger, soldier, 
patriot. 



REMINISCENCES. 91 



Gen. John R. Baylor. This name stands in the front rank of 
frontier heroes as ranger, frontiersman, soldier, patriot and states- 
man. 

This man's operations were in Central and North Texas and 
he did as much in driving back and holding the Indians in check 
as any other. He was well versed in the use of all the fire arms 
of his day, and in additon he was a perfect expert with the historical 
arms of the Indians, the bow and arrow, and the lance, which he 
always carried with him when scouting for Indians. He always 
killed the meat for his scouting party with the bow and arrow as 
the report of fire arms would oftimes give the Indians the direction 
of his whereabouts. Like Big Foot Wallace, he was a man of 
powerful physique, and could run his horse along by the side of a 
large buffalo, and drive an arrow through its body. In the years 
01 1858-9 the government placed the Comanche and Kiowa Indians 
on the reservation at Camp Cooper on the Clear Fork of the Brazos, 
and placed officers and soldiers to protect them with arms, cannon, 
etc. The. government fed and clothed and protected them, but did 
not keep them from raiding the unprotected white settlers, which 
was borne by the white settlers until forbearance ceased to be a 
virtue, and so they prayed for a eomnuinder to lead them against 
Camp C^ooper and wipe it from the face of the earth — as far as 
iti-' occupants were concerned. Their prayers were answered in the 
person of Capt. John R. Baylor, a Texas Ranger of true and tried 
ability, who was ever ready to lead a forlorn hope for the good of his 
suffering and unfortunate people. 

That winter James ^1. I.ovett and Wilson Liglit and myself had 
gone to the Wichita Mountains to join MaJ. Earl ^'andorn, who had 
been ordered to that locality by the United States Government to 
make a determined onslaught against the Indians that were reportea 
to he congregating in great numbers in the Wichita mountains. 

When the writer's little party of three reached Maj. Vandorn'* 
camp which was located at the south base of the mountains on the 
head of the creek called Sandy, the Major had gone on n scout in 



92 REMINISCENCES. 



which he took an Indian camp by surprise and killed fifty warriors 
and piled them up in one pile. He lost several of his men, killed 
and wounded, among whom was Lieut. Eadsminskj, who heroically 
lost his life to save the life of his commandino- officer — Maj. Earl 
\ andorn. 

When Maj. Vandorn returned to camp he named the camp 
Kadsminsky in honor of his lieutenant, who so heroically gave his 
life to save the life of his commanding officer. Here the writer 
formed the acquaintance of Sol B. Davis, a ne])hew of Jett'erson 
Davis, who was the Secretary of War. Sol B. Davis carried with 
him an order from the Secretary of Wfir to any commanding officer 
of government posts to turn over to the said Sol B. Davis any num- 
ber of soldiers for escort, or any government property to suit hi, 
pleasure or convenience. Sol B. Davis had just come out to Van- 
dorn's camp from FoH Arbuckle, where he had obtained a lieuten- 
ant and twenty soldiers for an escort, two six mule teams, wagons, 
tents, and other camp accessories. 

His own private traveling equipage consisted of a very fine 
ambulance with a five hundred djllar pair of mules to draw it, a 
num to drive it, a fine saddle horse and saddle mule and a negro 
cook, and all kinds of firearms up to date, with tol)acco, pipes and 
whiskey galore. Myself and Light were pressingly invited to join 
him in his buffalo hunts, and as he had wagons, teams, tents and 
soldiers to guard us while in camp we cheerfully accepted the in- 
vitation, since we were well mounted, well armed and out for venture, 
fun or frolic. 

In these hunts many things happened, but we will relate one that 
was not so very funny. It was on Cash creek, below where Fori 
Sill is now located. We had camped on the creek. Davis, Light 
and myself went up the creek some three or four miles to kill just 
such buffalo as we migrht fancy. Davis rode his fine horse^ bought 
for this very purpose. Light and myself rode the best of Texas 
horses. Some four miles from camp we discovered a bunch of 
buffalo just to our liking, which consisted mostly of two year old 
heifers that could run, and don't you forget it. 

We wanted to give Davis a chance to try his fine horse, and to 
have something that he could remember and tell when he got back 
home, and we did. When we got ready to make the charge, Davis 



REMINISCENCES. 93 



tied his fine breech-loading rifle fast to the horn of his saddle, in- 
tending to use his six-shooter only in the run. 

Light and myself were armed with Colt's army six-shooters, cap 
and ball, one each. In the charge Light's horse took the lead, and the 
buffalo turned and I dashed right into them and commenced firing 
as fast as I could. Davis was just behind me. My firing, and the 
buffalo, frightened Davis' horse which threw him, and like Brother 
('rawfoi'd's liorsc of old, he threw liis tail over liis back, and said, 
"Farewell, Brother Davis." The horse almost flew after he had 
. thrown his rider, for with his every jump the muzzle of the gun 
would rise and come down with a whack on his side or shoulder, and 
this of course drove him to his utn^ost speed. 

We followed him with our eyes for about a mile and a half, when 
we^saw a bunch of Indians dash in all around him. Light got off 
his horse, made Davis mount into the saddle, sprang up behind him 
and if we did not make as good time to camp as Davis' 
horse did after he said "Farewell, Brother Davis" — why we almost 
did, you know how it is yourself — if you have been there. 

After we got to camp we summed up the casualties of the day's 
Imnt and it stood thus: No meat, Davis' horse, bridle, saddle, gun 
and powder flask lost, Light and Jeff with two empty pistols and 
nothing to load theiu with. Had the Indians overtaken us we- would 
have fallen easy pray as Ave liad nothing foi- defense except Davis' 
six-shooter and the load that was in it. 

As Sol B. Davis would have something to remember when he 
got l)aek home to Baltimore. We returned to Texas l)y way of Caiup 
Cooper, and got to Camp Cooper the day after Capt. John li. Baylor 
made his imsuccessful attack on the Indian reservation. This wide 
digression was to show how the writer happened to be there the 
next day after the attack. If Capt. Baylor had been in command 
of two hundred of his old Hangers in all probability he would have 
been successful for the time being. But those big ugly cannon loaded 
to the muzzle was more than tenderfeet could tackle. 

The movement was productive of good results to the settlers, 
anyway, for it caused the government to locate Fort Sill in the In- 
dian Eeservation i\\M] move the Indians to it. which saved many 
lives and much property. Baylor was made a Brigadier CTeneral in 
the Confederate War, and before leaving San Antonio he had a 



94 REMINISCENCES. 



nice Confederate uniform made suitable to his rank, and the ladies 
of San Antonio presented him with a beautiful Confederate flag, 
both of which he prized A^ery much. 

After the war was over he lived in San Antonio for some years, 
and the last time the writer met him was during Gov. Coke's admin- 
istration. I met him in the legisaltive hall and after the usual 
friendly greeting, he said, "Come, let's go down and irrigate," mean- 
ing take a drink. We walked down to an irrigation fountain and 
after turning down an exhilarating quantity of the "Oh, be joyful'' 
the General said, "The doctors advise me since my last sickness to 
tcike a little stiuiuk'nt pretty often." I replied, "I had not heard of 
your sickness." He said, "Oh, yes. 1 have been at death's door. 'I'he 
doctors all gave me up, and told Mrs. Baylor that 1 could not live 
and for her to ask me if I had any re»|uest to make before I died. 
She .came to me with tears streaming down her cheeks, and said, 
'John, have you any requests to make?' and if so, she would have 
them )i(M'r(inii('(l. 1 sai<l. "Yes. if 1 die I want yoii lo pnt iiic m my 
Confederate uniform, wrap my Confederate flag around me, and 
when I get over tluM'e 1 will walk up to Stonewall Jackson and 
report to him for duty." By the time this little speech was ended, 
tears were streaming down mv cheeks. 



REMINISCENCES. 95 



CHAPTER III. 

THE LAST Sk'TRMTSIf WfTff TITK JXDfAXS OX Till': UK) 
URAXDK, AND WfMT I.El) UP TO IT. 

In 1883 the United States (;ov<'rnnienl liacl forced all of the dif- 
ferent trihes of Indians that depredated on the frontier of Texa.s 
onto the different reservations, hut still there were some roving hands 
of the different trihes that found a refuge in the mountain fastnesses 
of the Kio CJrande where game and fish were ahundant and where a 
vast country two or three hundred miles in length on either side of 
the river was totally uninhabited. 

The Texas and Pacific Kailway had crossed the western frontier 
and the stockmen, eager to take possession of all the water and grass, 
made a mad rush westward and drove their stakes and set up their 
claims on every available location suitable for a big stock ranch ; so at 
the time of which I write, all of the locations worthy of note, for 
size, water and grass, were located and had the cattle on them, 
and the last and only chance to get possession of a big stock ranch 
lay on the Rio Grande some two hundred miles below El Paso. 

Its security from location was, on acount of it being held by the 
different bands of uncaptured hostile Indians and Mexican marauders, 
spoken of at the beginning of this chapter. It was understood that 
thirty leagues in one body of this land, in the desirable portion be- 
longed to one rich Mexican, and the facts and records of same could 
hr obtained only in the city of Chiehihuhua. Mexico. 

Clabe eMrchant and T. H. Hadley. being very extensive stockmen, 
like all others, were very desirous of getting permanent possession 
of just such a ranch of thirty thousand acres of well watered and 



96 REMINISCENCES 



well grassed land, so as to graze their cattle upon a thousand hills 
where no one could dare to make them afraid. 

The determination of the above named gentlemen was to send 
a representative to negotiate and get an option for twelve months 
on the land so. as to give them time to look it over and decide as to its 
value as a big and permanent ranch. 

The next consideration was a man that they could send for- 
ward to Cbichihiduia as tbeir representative and they l)oth nominate!! 
Capt. Jeff as their first choice. They at once called on him and ex- 
plained what they wanted and urged him to accept the mission, 
saying, "We will grant you any recpiest you may make in the premises. 
Captain replied : "Well, gentlemen, I think your first choice of me 
for this mission flatters my abilty in a deal of its probable magni- 
tude, but give me Ed S. Seay, one of my true and tried rangers, 
whose courage and ability has ever been eqiuil to the occasion or 
the requirements, and I will undertake to carry out 3'our mission 
to a successful and profitable conclusion." 

As Ed S. Seay was a son-in-law of Clabe Merchant, the pre- 
liminaries for the trip were soon made, the day set to start, and 
till' journey to Chiehiludiua made without U't or liiiidranee. Tlie record- 
examined, the owner found, negotiations entered into perfectly sat- 
isfactory, records made and our little party of two, very reluctantly 
bade adieu to tlie hind of i)erpetual roses, dark eyed, l)lusliing, senor- 
itas, sparkling fountains, moon-lit promenades, etc. 

If they liad not been married men, and honor bound to return 
they would have l:)een there yet. Eeader, had you been with them 
you would have thouglit so too. They reached home without any 
incident worthy of note on the trip. Their trip was more than sat- 
isfactory to their employers, and the day was set to board the Texas 
and Pacific Railway at Baird, with saddle horses, pack mules and 
everything necessary to make a close and careful inspection of the 
country on both sides of the Rio Grande, both above and below (where 
the famous Spring of the Future is located). 

The mantel of the expedition was thrown on Capt. Jeff, and he 
was compelled to wear it in honor of his long service and experience 
after Indians in this same country in the year of IST)."). Tlie party 
that was to go forward and view out this "promised land," if there 
was any such, was Clebe ]\[crchant, Tom Hadley and our Jeff, and 



REMINISCENCES. 97 



IK.* tniiT or l)(_'tter iiicii. or hi'ttrr sliots t'ould he found on tlu' frontier 
oJ" Texas, tl;e iiatiirtil lionic of tl e true and the brave. 

Onr little party of three got everything, as they thouglit, that they 
could use on the trip, but they didn't, as will be told later on, and 
three days before they were to start Mr. Cla.be Merchant was taken 
sick, and his doctor said it would be impossible for him to go, so 
h.' picked one (Jeorge Laird, one of his true, trusted and tried cow- 
boys, to go in his ])lace. So the outfit was loaded, the tickets bought 
for Carizo Pass, which ])]ace wv reached in due time. We unloaded 
and took inventory of our stock and found everything we could use 
but a fish hook and line, which was one of the things that they 
would need badly, especially wl en they got to the Eio Grande. 

So they borrowed a small percli liook and line from a lady, and Jeff 
said, "Boys, 1 will show you some expert fishing with this hook and 
line before we get back." 

The horses were saddled, mules packed and they struck out for 
Eagle Springs, some fifteen mill's dist^ince, and directly on the way 
they wanted to go. They rear-] ed the springs and camped for the 
first night. 

After horses were cared for and super was eaten, Capt. Jeff said, 
"Boys, throughout the balarne of this tri]i, we will each one be 
called by his Christian name. I will l)e called simply Jeff' and you will 
be called Tom and George, tl e old familiar frontier style." He 
then said, "Boys, to while away the time, and make sleep sweeter 
when we do lie down, 1 will relate to you some of my experiences 
at this place, Eagle Springs, just twenty-eight years ago in this 
month in the spring of IST)."). The Indians on this road, which runs 
from San Antonio to El Paso, were very troublesome and killed 
a great many people all along the road, and more at this place 
than at any other, and to protect tie travel on this road, the 
United States Government sent Maj. Kough with one company of 
United States rifle men to scout up and down the road. 

A train of twenty-five six-mule teams was sent with liim to haul 
necessary supplies for a company of men for six months. The 
expedition started from Fort Clark. At that time and for years be- 
fore I was in the quartermaster's employ as a carpenter, and had 
helped to build a number of the Covernnient posts on the frontier of 
'J'exas. The Quartermaster sent me with Mai. Uough as his carpenter 

T 



98 REMINISCENCES. 



tc; keep his train of wagons in repair, so that he could keep on tlie 
move to give better protection all along the road, as this Eagle 
Spring was considered one of the worst places on the road, Maj. 
I?ongh put in more time here than anywhere else. The first time 
our command camped hero, our guide, James Cloiid, was telling me 
and the wagon master of the scenery there was back on the Rio 
Grande, just wliere we are going tomorrow. 

His description was so grand and romantic that we three went 
to Maj. llougli and asked Ids permission to allow us to go hack to 
the river and view its sceneries, to which the Major readily consented, 
saying, "I will send Lieut. Ilaudal and twenty uicii along with 3'ou, 
make a scout and add busin(!ss to pleasure." 

The guide led off to tlie front and the scout followed in military 
procession for a distance of some twelve miles. The guide rode some 
little distance in advance of the scout and just as he reached the top 
of a ridge or hill his quick eye discovered a band of Indians at the 
bottom of the hill beating up mesquite beans on a large, flat rock. 

He drew his horse suddenly up and motioned back, "halt." 
The Indians did not see him, and the top of the hill completely hid 
the scout from their view. Here a council of action was quickly 
held. Lieut. Eandal, with a part of the men, the guide in the lead, 
was to go around them. Some were detailed to hold the horses, the 
others to lie down and crawl to the top of the hill, but not to show 
themselves and not to make any noise until the report of the guide's 
rifle was heard, which was carried out to the letter. The guide worked 
his party around to within two hundred yards of the Indians un- 
discovered, at which time the chief raised his head to look, and the 
clear, keen crack of the rifle broke the silence of the mountain air, 
and the chief fell back with a rifle ball through his brain. 

The signal to shoot was given, and all hands tried to make a full 
•'hand" in the massacre. For massacre it was to the poor, unfortunate 
victims, as they had no show for their lives, surrounded as they were. 

The smoke of battle soon cleared away, and we advanced to 
where they fell, ten in number, and two of them were women; and 
there by the side of one was a beautiful little girl, some twelve or 
fourteen months old. We carried this little thing back to this place, 
and my mess had plenty of pork and beans and the little one seemed 
to be nearly famished and I fed her all of the pork and beans that 



REMINISCENCES. 99 



her little stomach could bold, thinking at the time that the gorge 
would kill 1 er, and she would be better ott', but it never made her the 
least sick. 1 kept her and fed lier the same thing day after day for 
two months and she fattened like a pig. 

The newspapers of San Antonio made a great to do about Major 
Ijough's ton strike and T.ieute'iniit HandaTs scalping the chief, but 
(lid not nicnlion us that got up the scout. Had he. Major IJough. 
been tlic Indian iigbtt'r that tl-c papers blew hiiu up to be ny had tlie 
('\})edition been undei' the eoimnand of some of tin- old Texas dan- 
gers, and I couM have li\i'd to make tiie report, 1. think I could 
h;;ve made the rejiort of the biggest Indian light and the capture 
of the most horses and mules of any one fight on the frontier of 
Texas outside of (ieiu'ral ^IcKeiizie's (iglit, but Major Kough was 
not a Mt'Kenzie, neither was be a Texas Ranger. 

It was Ibis wav: After M- jor I'oiigb bad made Ibis ten strike 
.bat I have just related, we mo-, ed on to\\ards l*'l Paso and moved 
.):! back l)V this place, some two iiioutl s bilcr went, on down bv Fori. 
Davis and camped at wi)at was tben known as lUirilla Springs, some 
tb.irlv miles east of Fort I)a\is, and some tbirty miles west of Leon 
Holes. As our command was pulling out of camp just as Ihe 
sun was rising the nt'xt nioi-ning, we saw two lone horsemen coming 

to meet us, which pro\cd to be (b'oriie . a government 

wagonnuistei', and one of bis leamslers. He I'ejMii'ted to Major 
Iiough substantially as follows: That be bad been sent from Fort 
Clark with nine si.\-mule teams and wjigons loaded with supplies 
to be delivered at Fort Davis; Ibat yestei-day lie reached the Leon 
Moles about noon and turned I is mules loose to water and graze, 
])lace(l two men to herd tbeni; Ibe Indians saw them coming ani 
secreted themselves and when tbe 'niules got off a little distance 
from the wagons fbey daslu'd in lietwi'cn tl e mules and wagons and 
diove them off, all but one, wl ich was blind in one eye and in the 
scare its good eye was towards the wagons and it ran to them and 
was saved. The teamsters all I ad six-shooters and they ran afoot 
after the Indians firing as best they could and captured several 
things which they made the Indians dro]), among which was a beau- 
tiful bhmd scalp, no dojd)t of so-ne pure white girl that they had 
captured, outraged and brutally murdeird. The guide, James Cloud, 
and myself rode over the ground and found that there was four 

Lofa 



100 REMINISCENCES. 



bands of tlie Indians and that they were driving as much as 1000 
licad of mnles and horses to the band, making 4000 liead in all, 
besides the fift)'-four nuilcs of the government train. They had 
so many the teamsters while running tliem afoot captured tliirteen 
liead of horses and mules, one of which one of the teamsters rode 
while the wagoninaster rode the onc-eved mule whieli the Indians did 
not get. 

The wagoninaster .lid not know ;inything of Major Kougirs where- 
abouts so he waited till dark and he and his teamsters saddled up 
the two mules and struck out for Fort Davis and came to us as 1 
have stated. IVlajor Kough moved his command on down to Leon 
Holes that day and camped. The next morning he ordered a scout 
of thirty men to take the trail and follow it thirty miles and then 
return. I did not hear the orders given to Lieutenant Randal so 
I saddled up my horse and started with the scout. After riding 
along six or eight miles I rode up by the side of the guide and he 
said : "Jeif, if I was you T would not go." I said, "Why ?" He 
said, "We are only going to follow the Indians to-day and back to 
camp to-morrow, and we have no show to overtake them, and you will 
haA-e two days' ride for nothing." So I turned and rode back and 
it proved as he said. When the scout got back the next evening 
I went to the guide and asked him all about it and he said : "The 
liidians stopped, killed and ate three government mules in going 
less than thirty miles," which so exasperated Garrigus, the wagon 
master and myself, in connection with the pretty blond scalp, that 
Ave three' went to Major Rough and plead with him to let us take 
government mules and the teamsters who were all willing to go, 
and follow them and make the fight. As the guide said he was sure 
the- Indians were no farther than the Horse Head crossing on the 
Pecos, their noted place to rest, eat and sleep after their long, hard 
raids on the frontier settlers, as they had no knowledge of Major 
Rough and his sixty-five well-mounted, well-armed U. S. riflemen and 
his thirty-seven teamsters, being in fifty miles of them and they 
need not have cared, as it proved. Boys, here was the best oppor- 
tunity to make a historical fight and recapture 4000 head of the 
sutfering and bleeding frontier men's horses and mules that has 
ever come under my observation, but it seemed that the Indians' 
Kind Providence sent them a ]\Iajor Rough to protect them. 



REMINISCENCES. 101 



We will go by the place tomorrow and see if the Indians were ever 
found and buried. I thought then and think yet that such a killing was 
cruel and savage in the extreme, our only Justification was and is 
that they would have murdered us just the same, if they had been 
given the opportunity that was presented to us. 



CHAPTER IV. 

And now, boys, as times have changed so much in the last twenty 
eight years here at Eagle Springs, I think we can spread down our 
blankets and sleep sweetly without fear of the bloody tomahawk and 
scalping knife of the wily savage." 

By daybreak the next morning our little party of three was up 
and as gay as larks and felt ready and equal +o any and all emer- 
gencies that might lie in their path. Breakfast was prepared and 
eaten. Horses saddled, mules packed and the start made for the 
Rio Grande via where the Indians were slaughtered twenty-eight 
years before. Jeff's retentive memory of location, being a natural 
woodsman, enabled him to go straight to the spot where the unfortu- 



102 REMINISCENCES. 



nate Indians were kil'iod. Their bones were all there as none siirvided 
to tell the story to the rest of the tribe. 

About noon they reached the river, and while Tom and George 
unpacked the mules and made a fire, Jeff stepped down to the river 
Avith his little porch hook and brouiiht back a fiv(; or six pound cat 
fish, which, with other things, made a splendid dinner. As they had 
had a very hard ride in the forenoon they took a long rest and in 
the afternoon they saddled up and crossed the river. As the river 
was dry in that place, they went several miles into Mexico, and re- 
turned back at night to their first camp. As they came into camp 
that evening Jeff noticed a good many deer signs and he said, "Boys, 
I will go over there, in the morning and kill a deer for breakfast." 
So, next morning when it was good light he said, "Tom, saddle up 
fl horse and when you hear me shoot come over. I will have a nice 
deer for you to bring back to camp." So saying he walking across 
the bed of the river and in a few minutes the crack of the rifle rang 
out clear and sharp, and Tom said, "George, Jeff has got it. I will 
ride over and get it, and we will have a good venison steak for 
breakfast." After partaking of a hearty breakfast they packed and 
saddled up and went down the river some miles where it made a short 
bend, and ran against the bluff. There was grass in the bend, and the 
prettiest place to fish that was ever seen. 

Jeff said, "Boys, let's noon here and I will show you what an 
expert 1 am in catching big catfish with a minnow hook." So, while 
the boys were attending to the horses and making a big fire, Jeff 
cut a long willow pole, took a piece of the deer's liver and went down 
to ihe river, where he found one of the prettiest nlaces to land i 
big fish with a small hook that was ever seen, and then the fun 
commenced, for no sooner than the bait struck the water than a nine 
pound cat fish had it and he was safelv landed, and a second and 
a third in rapid succession. After cutting a willow switch and 
runninof it through their gills he carried them to the fire, and George 
remarked, "I'll bet my boots and make this trip bare-footed, that 
Jeff can catch the largest fish with the smallest hook of any man in 
tlip world." As there was more fish than enough for one meal they 
thought that they would have one for dinner. So Jeff soon had one 
dross for dinner which (Joorgo fryod to a fine finish, and another 
good old froiitior d inner was oaten. 



REMINISCENCES. 103 



After they were rested tliey saddled and packed and JefF re- 
marked, "I think we have more good meat than we can eat, two 
nine-pound catfish and a deer, but we will take it along until we get 
something better." They moved on down the river and found that 
they had nooned at the upper end of the lower Narrows where the 
bluffs set in two or three hundred feet high and the river bends 
from bluff to bluff, and there is no possible way to get through, only 
to cross the river at each bend, and here the river is one continuous 
body of water, so when our party came to the first place where they 
had to cross or turn back, they all dismounted to consult what to do, 
and going down to the water's edge lo and behold a band of Indians 
had crossed ahead of them, their mocassin tracks were plain in the 
sand where they went into the river. Here Tom and George hesitated 
about crossing, for forward the river looked much deeper than liack- 
wards, and we did not know but" what the ^\•ater was very deep. Jeff 
said, "Boys, I never have turned back and am not going to this 
time,if you will stay with me." They replied, "We come to stay, 
and you bet we will." Jeff then instructed them to stay and guard 
the horses while he waded the river, first remarking that the Indians 
had crossed and he could cross also. After crossing he found that it 
would not quite swim the pack mules. When he got to the other 
shore he found tb.e Indian tracks where they came out, which he in- 
formed the boys. He then instructed them to stay where they were 
and keej) a sharp lookout while lie went on down the river to ses if 
they could get through. He cautiously wended his way some two 
hundred yards down tlie river, when sudenly a quick crackling in a 
thick bunch of bushes not more than twenty steps in his advance 
made his hair stand up and nearly throw off his hat. In an instant 
'lo had his gun ready for service, when a magnificent buck of the 
Uacktail variety bounded up on a point of the mountain and turned 
his side to him The temptation was too great, and in the twinkling 
of an eye the gun was at his shoulder and he fired. The buck bounded 
high, fell over and rolled down nearly to his feet. He called back, "All 
right, boys, we have more meat." He quickly put another load in 
hit g\m, drew his big hunting knife, that was made expressly for 
him in San Antonio, at the commencement of the Civil War, and that 
he had carried through all his scouts, and bled the buck a*; hunters 
dc. 



104 REMINISCENCES. 



He then reasoned thus: "Tlie hiilians did not pass here today 
or that buck would not lie (l(>'vn so close to tlieir trail In fact, 1 
think he could smell their trail two or three days old, and it is <i 
sure thing that he would not lie down where he could smell them." 
Being thus ac-sured by practice and experience he moved cheerfully on 
to the next crossing of the river. 

He waded here as at first crossing and found the Indian trail ,"oing 
in and coming out as at the first crossing. Here the bluff receded from 
the river on the Tcwas side and the calley opened to a beautiful level. 
He returned and went back to where Tom and George were very 
.<inxiously awaiting him. 

He explained his discoveries and they were as eager and read_\ 
to go forward as he was, so they mounted their horses and forded 
the river and went on to where the big buck lay. They dismounted 
and dressed the buck and prepared one of the pack mules, and lifted 
hun on, head, homes and all, tied him firmly to the pack saddle, 
mounted and went forward, crossing the river out on to Texas soil 
and the beautiful level country and the change of scenery was so in- 
spiring contrasted with the dismal and lonesome passage of the Lower 
Narrows of the Rio Grande that Tom and George set up the Texas 
yell of victory that reverbrated from bluff to bluff. 

A short distance below the Narrows stands a large cotton wood 
tree on the Texas side of the river and when our party reached the 
tree, the place and all surroundings were too inviting for a camping 
place for the night for Jeff to pass. His experienced eye took in the 
situation at a glance so he said "Halt, this is too good to pass." As 
Indian signs had been disagreeably in evidence all the afternoon the 
experienced frontiersman, as lie had been taught so to do utilized every 
natural advantage that woud tend to ward oft' the surprise and sud- 
den attack of the enemy in this connection. 

It is due the reader to give a brief sketch or pen picture of this 
almost perfect camp ground for defence. Standing under this grand, 
old Cottonwood tree on the Texas bank looking north and south, a 
deep, broad pool of water runs north and south. A perpendicular 
bluff on the west or Mexican side, a high bank on the east until it 
comes to within jOO yards of the tree, either way. north or south, 
Plere the bank is about five feet high and sets back some twenty 
IVct I'rom tlic watci' alniosl level east froiu the toj) of the ))ank is 



REMINISCENCES. 105 



a beautiful level without rock or shrub but covered with best of 
grass. Here our little party of three felt like they could stand off 
every roving Indian on the Rio Grande. 

After horses and mules were all attended to and we had gone 
l)ack to the tree we looked down the river to where the bank set 
into the water about one hundred yards distance, and there sat a fine 
wild goose. Tom said it would be cruel and almost a wanton waste 
for me to shoot that goose, but I wanted to keep up my "rep" as 
a fine shot, and I said, "Jeff, if you are willing I will shoot its head 
off, at least thereby giving it a chance for its life." Jeff' replied, 
"Poor goose, I pity its chance." After which Tom raised his gun, took 
deliberate aim and fired. The goose turned over on its back with its 
head cut off as smooth as if with an axe. Jeff said, "Tom, if the 
Indians do charge us I intend to give you the first shot, and see if 
you can kill Indians like you can geese." 

Tom said, "Good, I won't loose my 'rep'." 

We moved everything over the bank to the nice little level that 
extended to the water, Tom brought his goose and we skinned the 
big buck, and oh, my ! He was fat ! We then set in to have a night's 
feast such as no man ever had, and if we could have had a Jug of 
"0. B. Joyful" we would have had the ideal meal. But let me tell 
you what we did have — we had roasted buck ribs as fine as mortal 
man ever tasted, roasted goose, roasted eat fish, roasted bread a la 
ranger style, Rio Grande water, strong coffee and health and West 
Texas appetites, which is about the biggest thing that wild game 
ever ran up against. A man may be poor in purse, but in Texas 
he is rich in health, rich in hospitality, rich in patriotism, rich in 
bravery, rich in honor and big rich in a broad and expansive appetite 
for pretty women, red liquor and good eating, and as those three 
were no exception to the general West Texan, thoy set in to have 
a full night of it as far as their stock of good things of West 
Texas was concerned. 

The fire was completely hidden by the river bank, which was just 
high enough for one to stand up straight and look over the 
beautiful level where their horses grazed, wliile the other two kept 
themselves busy feasting, barbecuing fat buck meat, baking bread 
and fixing up generally for any emergency that might arise during 
the furtherance of their journey, as the light of the fire shone plainly 



106 REMINISCENCES. 



on the water a tremendous fish would flounce and make the water 
boil and whirl, no doubt he was attracted by the smell of the big 
buck. Jeff said, "Boys, I am going to hook that fellow with my lit- 
tk' lionk just to see hov he feels on a long limber pole." 

So suiting the action of the word, he cut a long willow pole, 
fastened his little hook and line to it, put on a piece of the fried 
meat and droped it into the water. The fish took it at once and 
moved slowly off to the other shore. Jeff gave the pole a jerk, and it 
hooked the fish lilie it hung in a log, but it steadily moved straight 
forward and the line was not sufficient to raise his head or turn him 
in the least, and broke. Jeff sat down and meditated a little; goi up 
and picked up the buck's head, took it near the fire, drew his big 
knife, and Tom said, "What are you going to do now?" He replied, 
''I am going to cut off one of these horns, make me a fish hook and 
catch that fish. The boys laughed, as a matter of course, but he said, 
"We will see where the laugh comes in the morning." So he deliber- 
ately hacked off one of the horns just below the lower prong, and 
cut .off the horn just above the next prong, went and hobbled his 
horse and brought the stake rope and fastened it securely just below 
where he had cut off the horn the second time, cut four or five 
pounds of the meat and wrapped it around tlie horn, but left the 
prong uncovered, fastened the bait securely around the horn with 
a piece of his small line that was left to the pole, tied his rope to a 
small willow sapling and threw out his bait, saying, "B.oys, I will 
show you how to catch big fish in emergencies." So the next morn- 
ing Jeff"s long experience on the frontier where necessity had to be 
the mother of invention proved good for he had the big fish, and 
when he drew him out George remarked : "I'll be d — d if that 
ain't a whole or the fish that swallowed Jonah, my name ain't 
George Laird." 

They now had fish enough to feed a regiment and could not use 
a pound of it, so Jeff said, "It is a pity for the vultures to eat this 
fish. I will take off my bridle bits and brand him and turn him 
loose in this big water, and as the Indians have stolen many horses 
and cattle from me should they catch him they will think I have a fish 
brand as well as a horse and cattle brand." So they branded him 
thus O — B and turned him loose. He s.wam a few feet, turned 



REMINISCENCES. 107 



tlcwn his head, threw up his tail and disappeared beneath the TJio 
Giande waters. 

As our little party of three ]iad feasted as no other luen had, 
our horses were well rested up, and having plenty of good, barbecued 
venison and enough l)read l)aked to last thein through any emergency 
they mounted and turned their course for the once famous Hot 
Springs, on the east side of the river. The old signs and trails 
leading in to the springs indicated that the Indians held the virtues 
of these springs as the people of old Biblical times held the Pool 
of Siloam. 

After resting and taking in the surroundings of the springs we 
mounted our horses and rode up the river some two or three miles 
Texas side. We- rode straight up the valley east of the timber 
and we came to a fresh trail of ten or fifteen horses going into 
the river. We stopped, talked and hesitated a little but went straight 
ahead for probably one mile when we came to another trail just like 
the first; here we parlied much longer, but Jeff said that he would 
like to go on and see the whole thing if we could. So we very hesi- 
tatingly rode on, Jeff' going some little distance in the lead. We had 
gone but a little distance when Tom rode up to him and said, if we are 
attacked and we are almost sure to be, you are so big they are 
sure to kill you." He laughingly replied, "Tom, I don't know just 
what I will do, but I tell you what I think I will do." They had 
halted and George rode up. Jeff said, pointing to deep gully that high 
water had washed out, "if we are attacked in such a place as this we 
will drive the spurs to our horses and jump them iu it, dismount and 
win the fight. If we are attacked when we have no chance of cover, 
I will jump off' my horse and shoot him through the brain, you 
and George jump off of your horses, let horses and mules go, and 
we will all make breastworks of my dead horse and win the fight, 
for we have got it to do to get back and report this country, and as 
to their killing me, don't have any fear on that score, for they can't ; 
my guardian angel, or "still small voice" has always told me what, 
and how to do, and I have always heeded its promptings." 

The word promptings had hardly escaped from his lips when the 
yell of a band of Indians echoed and re-echoed from /)luff to blufi all 
along the Eio Grande caused the hair on our heads to raise 
straight up. and looking in the direction from which it came, ten 



108 REMINISCENCES 



Indians some three himdred yards distant were coming on iis with 
the speed of a hurricane. Jeff said, "Leave the mules, drive the- 
spurs to your horses and jump into that gulley." This was done 
as quick as any mad or desperate leap was ever made by any man or 
men. ''I'he mules were so frightened that they jumped in after, and 
a clear voice rang out, "Jump off. Cleorge hold the horses." The 
sudden disappearance of the little party caused the Indians to circle, 
which gave the party time to prepare for action. Jeff said : "They 
will come around within one hundred and fifty yards or two hundred 
yards of us to draw our fire, and get our exact location, so Tom, 
as I promised to give you the first shoi, I want you to make it 
the best of your life, for on our first two shots depends defeat or 
victory. When they come around to draw our fire I want you to 
kill the lead Indian, and I will kill the next one, and George, you hold 
the horses, Lnd don't shoot unless Tom and I fail to check them, and 
they come right on to us. Then let loose the horses and shoot to kill.'' 
By this time Tom's nerves seemed to be as unruffled as a May morn- 
ing and a smile of determination, so plainly depicted on his coun- 
tenance, such as the beholder could never forget. 

The Indians circled and came around within one hundred and 
fifty yards at full speed when "pop," "pop" went Tom's and Jeff's 
guns, and the lead Indian fell back and his horse jumped from under 
mm. The second one's horse bounded high over the fallen one just ao 
Jeff' pulled the trigger, which brought him above the sight, and 
mo Ijall killed his horse; the Indian struck tlie ground run- 
runmg with the speed of a deer until he clutched his hand in tlie 
mane of the fallen Indian's horse, bounded upon his back, and 
tften circled and rode at full speed to an elevation some half mile 
distant and halted. They could be seen plainly by our little party, 
t)iit tlie liigh hank of tlu' providential gully al tin' same time 
hid us from the Indians. The bottom of the gully u'as compara- 
tively level, so Jeff said, "Lead your horses, the mules will follow. 
We must take time by the forelock, and get out of here before they 
get reinforcenumts and find where we are. We led our horses a 
short distance down the gully where a small elevation hid the Indians, 
and here we mounted our horses and Jeff said, "We will ride 
for all our horses have got in them until we strike the foot hills,"thc 
jnules will follow; which they did, and for some ten miles we 



REMINISCENCES. 109 



did some wild and daring riding, until they struck the foot hill, com- 
ing on to a nice spot of grass and a nice, little round mound near 
by. Jeff said, "Halt ! We must rest and graze our horses a whilo 
as they have done us noble and never to be forgotten service in the 
last hour." 

We did not unsaddle oi- im])ack, l)ut took the bits out of tlie 
h.orses' mouths, so that they coiiKl eat grass witliout hindrance. We 
had plenty of barbecued venison that had been prepared for this 
or any other emergency, and were preparing to a]){)ease our 
hunger, when we looked back from whence we came, and one, 
two, three signal smokes shot up high above the muntains. 

Jeff said: "See there, boj^s; there are three parties of them, and 
they are signaling to get together and surround us in that gully. 
I will take me a hunk of meat and bread and go up on that little hill 
an(l watch, while you watch the horses." This was done for one hour 
when we mounted and struck out for Carizo Pass station, via Eagle 
Springs. We reached the springs late in the evening, watered our 
almost famished horses, filled our canteens and moved on to find 
a suitable place to camp after dark in case the Indians should follow 
us. We found a suitable place to camp, ate a hearty lunch, 
spread down our blankets and slept as soundly af^ though nothing 
unusual had happened during the day. The next morning they 
awoke rather late, but were fully refreshed and as gay as larks. 
Carizo Pass station plain in view, we made a pot of Western 
strong coffee, and with barbecued buck and that same old appetite, 
had an enjoyable breakfast, after which we packed up and 
went on to the station, our heads set homeward. We reached the 
station and prepared to board the first eastbounJ train, not for- 
getting to return the lady her little fish hook, with many thanks, 
saying, "Madam, you ought to keep that hook and line for a show, 
for it caught a catfish that would weigh over one hundred pounds/' 
which was the truth, but it did not pull him out. 

The train came and everything was loaded, and our little party, 
as the train pulled out, took their seats to quietly think over their 
trip on the Eio Grande. After some little time Tom and George 
said : "Jeff, we don't know whether to tell that fish stor^ or not. To 
a heap of people it will look mighty fishy." He said : "Yes, but 
nevertheless it is a fact that all experienced fishermen who have 



110 REMINISCENCES. 



caught big catfish know that often a hoolc is set out and a small 
catfish twelve or fifteen inches long gets fast on the hook, and a big 
catfish comes along and swallow^s the little one, and the fisherman 
gets them both; and the hook never sticks in the big fish's mouth. 
The lack of experience will make the story fish}^ that's all." 

In due time we readied Baird and called on j\Ir. C'lebe IMcreliant 
and made an unfavorable report on the glowing prospects of the last 
big ranch that might be obtained on Texas and Mexico soil jointly. 

The report was tluit the river did not run continuously only for 
a few months in the year, but stood in pools; that the cattle would 
cross over and stray back for miles into Mexico, where they would 
be an easy prey to the Mexican and other cattle thieves in general, 
and that the drain on the herds would be greater than the increase. 
So the brilliant hopes of the big cattle ranch of T. B. Hardley and 
Clabe Merchant on the Rio Grande was abandoned in proof that 
their judgment was good. 

Some time afterwards a young man, full of life, vigor and enter- 
prise, discovered the location of the big cottonwood tret^ that ha- 
b(en described in this recital. He married him a noble, pretty wife. 
full of hope, courage and devotion. They loaded their effects, with 
lumber fixtures and a mechanic to build them a house, and a boat 
to ride upon the waters of this big pool. Here they located undei 
this big Cottonwood tree, built them a house, and were monarchs 
of all they surveyed for a time, until a band of murderer^; came upon 
them and murdered them, cutting off her fair and beautiful head 
with an axe, robbing the house of such things as they wanted, loaded 
them into their boat, landed the boat over on the Mexican shore, and 
have never been heard of since. 

Later, Sam Cutbirth and the i\IcWhorter Brothers, Winfield Scotl- 
and others moved their herds to that section, and the drain on their 
herds, as our little party wisely predicted, was so great that their 
ranches were abandoned. 



A LETTER. Ill 



A LETTER FROM CAPT. MALTBY 



Admiral, Texas, Dec. 17, 1904. 

Mr. N. C. Bawcom, Sweetwater, Texas: My Dear Sir — An 
this is my birthday, at which I arrive at my seventy-fiftti 
mile-post on life's journey, and as it was your lot to be 
in the right place at the proper time to render me valuable 
service, as may yet be demonstrated in the near future. Your 
letter of recent date earnestly asking a brief statement of my long 
residence on the frontier of Texas, my scouting and trailing of In- 
dians, with the personal knowledge of the losses of cattle and horses 
by the Comanche and Kiowa tribes of Indians, and not recovered by 
their rightful owners, received. Up to the present time I have 
strenuously refused to make such a statement as I now am going 
to make to you. My reasons for not wishing to convey the infor- 
mation are on account of my advanced age and enfeebled condition, 
and, in fact, not having the courage or disposition to charge for my 
time in going long distances to give testimony in the cases of losses 
by Indian depredations. My time, age, aches and pains are about 
all that I have left. Added to these, an invalid family makes up 
the sum total of my heritage, after spending my youth, strength, 
vigor and manhood in defense, both of our National and State 
<jiovernments. 

My life and career as a frontiersman of Texas dates back to 1850, 
and extends over the period of time that dates down to 1874, botli 
dates inclusive — that is to say, that I commenced an active frontier 
life early in 1850 and closed my activities with the ending of the 
year 1871. I believe I commanded either State Rangers or minute 



112 A LETTER. 

men during as a great a period as any man living at the present, 
or perhaps, as ever did live in Texas. T believe that I made as 
many scouts and followed as many Indian trails as any man that 
is living on the frontier at the present time or in the past within 
the memory of man. 

In the year of 1850 I was employed by the United States Gov- 
ernment in locating, building and hauling supplies to many of tin 
(Jovernment posts, or forts, namely, Fort Worth, in Tarrant county , 
Fort Belknap, in Young county; Fort Phantom Hill, in Jones 
county; Fort Mason, in Mason county: Fort Clark, in Kinney county; 
Camp Colorado, in Coleman county, and also Fort Concho, in Tom 
Green county, the latter fort being established in 18(i7. I worked 
in the different capacities of teamster, wagon-master, carpenter, 
scout, dispatcher, and, like David Copperfield, "doer of odd jobs." 

In June, 1858, I got married and settled in Burnet county, and 
engaged in stock raising. In July of that year the settlers in that 
section of country were called upon to meet at Dr. Wilson Barton', 
rpnch for the purpose of organizing for protection against the raid:- 
o\' murderous redskins, at that time wards of the National Govern- 
ment. The meeting was fairly well attended, and a company of 
minute men was organized and the work of trying to protect the 
women, children and our property was instituted. I Avas elected as 
one of the officers of this company, and we made monthly scouts dur- 
ing the year of 1858, and the organization was maintained until the 
fall of 1859. In the spring of 1861 the Indians began making 
monthly raids on the frontier, particularly in Burnet county, and 
especially in our immediate neighborhood, and it began to look as 
though they would steal all the work stock as well as other horses 
in the county. One of our neighbors, Walford Johnson, came and 
asked me to assist in getting every man living within a reasonable 
distance of our homes to meet at the place of Benjamin Owens, a 
wealthy old bachelor, for the purpose of organizing another minute 
company as the only means of protection. At that time a great many 
men had volunteered and gone into the Confederate service, but the 
call was promptly responded to, and at the appointed place and on 
the designated date every man in that section, old or young, ministers 
of the gospel and boys under the age required for military duty at- 
tended and were enlisted in a regularly organized military company 



A LETTER. 113 



The men who were too old to scout were assigned the task of sup- 
plying the sinews of war, such as money, provisions, animals, guns, 
ammunition and other things necessary to carry out the plans and 
designs of a well-equipped organization ; and all boys old enough 
to ride and shoot were required to scout the country and notify the 
command of any Indians seen or freshl3'-made Indian trails discov- 
ered. The command of this company was forced upon me because 
oi' my yi'ars of exjiericnce and long service with the United tSates 
Government. The company was not organized any too soon, for it 
was but a few days later when the Indians came into that neighbor- 
hood and stole all the work and saddle horses that were in the lots 
and stables, and before we could follow them we had to go on the 
range and get horses to ride. This delay left us but little chance to 
catch them, but as we wanted to learn the trails they traveled, we 
followed them about ninety mites to a crossing on the San Saba river, 
and learned from the people in that section that in 1859 the Indians 
had driven thirteen herds of cattle and horses across the river at 
that point. 

We returned from this trip, having accomplished nothing m.ore 
than to obtain the information in regard to the route they had trav- 
eled. On the next light of the moon the Indians made another raid 
into the same neighborhood and killed Walfor J Johnson, the man who 
had assisted me in getting up the company. They had also murdered 
Mrs. Johnson and her little daughter, about four or five years old. 
This murder was committed on Dog branch, about one mile from 
my home, and at the same place from where the Indians afterwards 
drove off about three hundred head of my cattle and sixteen head of 
stock horses and one stallion. I got the news of the killing of the 
Johnson family late in the evening of the day on which it occurred. 
I had been riding very hard all day, gathering my horses to drive them 
to Caldwell county, south of Austin, hoping in this way to save 
at least a few of them. I reached home about sundown, and had just 
eaten my supper when my first lieutenant, John Owens, rode up and 
iijfornied me of the killing of the Johnson family. I had just put 
my horses in a pasture, for which the Indians were doubtless headed, 
but before reaching it they met and brutally murdered Johnson and 
his family, and by this incident saved to me my horses. John Owens, 
Alex Burton and myself rode all night getting the company together, 



114 A LETTER. 



and early the next morning had collected thirty men, old and young, 
after which I was one of the first to reach the tragic spot. We heard 
a noise in a thicket, and on investigating found Mrs. Johnson's one- 
year-old baby boy with an arrow shot through his arm. The little 
fellow had certainly suffered inexpressible agony, lying there for 
hours wounded, fevered, thirsty, without nourishment or a particle of 
human attention ; but even the wild animals prowling the forests of 
that desolate, rugged, mountainous country had been more merciful 
than the redskin demons, and had satiated their hunger with other 
prey than a wounded babe, crying in the dark for a dead mother. 
When attacked, Mrs. Johnson had doubtless run her horse near a 
dogwood thicket in which the child was found, and with a mother's 
love, last kiss and farewell prayer, had thrown her child into the 
brush. 

When we assembled my horse was completely exhausted, for 1 
had ridden him fully eighty miles in the last twenty-four hours, 
and nothing but a Texas horse of the best mettle could have stood 
th(^ ordeal. An old gentleman by the name of Pakcr, who was too 
old to scout, offered me the use of his horse. His offer was gladly 
accepted, our saddles were changed and, mounting the fresh horse, 
I called for all who could ride ninety miles without resting to 
follow me. Fifteen of the thirty men volunteered, and as news had 
been brought to me that the Indians had been seen that morning 
traveling in a northwesterly direction, the direction in which they 
had always left our community, I naturally concluded that they would 
cross the San Saba river at their old and well-known crossing place, 
and to that point I took the nearest and most direct route, not trying 
to follow their trail, but anticipati'Hg that we could beat them to the 
crossing and there lie in wait for them ; but my calculations were 
wrong and our efforts came to naught. After going to the nortli 
line of Burnet county the Indians had turned back to the south 
line of that coimty, and thence northwest through Llano county, 
where they killed two men who were plowing in a field. They then 
went west and crossed the San Saba river about -six miles above their 
usual crossing place, and at a place where they had never before been 
known to cross, and this was four days after we had reached the river 
at the point where we expected to trap them. And in this connection 
permit me to say that, after my many years of experience, from 1850 



A LETTER. 115 



to 1874, and many sad disappointments in trying to ont-general the 
Indians, that if God or a special providence ever protected any raco 
or races of people, it certainly was the Comanche and Kiowa Indians. 
I could enumerate numerous instances in si>bstantiation of this con- 
clusion, but suffice it to ask wl,at human intellect or animal instinct 
could have so accurately divined the designs of the white men and 
enabled the. Indian to thwart every plan laid for his capture, and 
to only bring on an engagement when all was in his favor. Even 
a handful of them, confined on a reservation, and presumably un- 
armed, could defy the world'^ greatest Government, break away from 
all restraint, going into a virtually defenseless country, murdering, 
plundering, robbing and terrorizing fearless men, escaping vengeance 
and returning at leisure to their- reservations. 

In the year 1867, G. C. Arnett and myself went on a cow hunt, 
and established our first camp rear old Uncle Jimmy Boyce's, who 
bad good stock pens, and was t'en living on the North San Gabriel, 
in, the northern portion of Buri^et county. In our party there were 
tl:f' following resident citizens: E. P. Boyce, William Skaggs, Mar- 
cus Skaggs, Millard Moreland, Tl.onuis Wolf, James Sims, S. S. 
Johnston and Josiah C. Bawcom. I acted as cook, but always on 
cow hunts of this kind in that section of the country I took with me 
my saddle, a good saddle horse and the best firearms I had, as did 
all the otlier members of our party, as we were liable to meet hostile 
Comanche or Kiowa Indians at any time, these being the only hos- 
tile Indians that ever came into our section of country insofar as my 
personal knowledge extends. 

These were the most trying times that I ever experienced in fron- 
tier life. .People may talk of times that tried men's souls, but if men 
were ever put to a more crucial test than were the frontiersjnen of 
Texas, I cannot comprehend 1)v what miraculous agency they stood 
the ordeal. At that time no man's life was safe, and he knew not 
ar what hour his family or friends might he murdered, tortured or, 
even worse than eitl ( r. taken captives liy tl e Indians. It was simply 
one long, dreadful vigil, fear am! a])preliension. Had it been so that 
the citizens could have followed the Indians to the utmost confines 
of the United States and inflicted upon them deserved and effective 
punishment, it would have taken but a reasonable length of time to 
dispose of the Indian question, but such was not the case. They 



116 A LETTER. 



would slip away from the reservations, do their murdering and steal- 
ing, and unless overtaken within a few hours they would have a suffi- 
cient start and advantage to reach the reservation from whence they 
came and there be safe from molestation by the outraged citizens and 
immune from punishment by the Government, for the citizen could 
go no further than the resrvation, and after doing his devilment tht 
Indian made it a special point to get there first, and of course there 
was no way for the Governmient or injured citizens to identify any 
piirticular Indians as the guilty parties; hence no punishment could 
be legally inflicted. 

The next morning after establishing our camp, G. C. Arnett, Joe 
Bawcom, William Skaggs, E. P. Boyce and S. S. Johnson went west 
to a place on Morgan's creek where there M^ere some big cedar brakes 
and glades covered with good green grass, and here horses and 
cattle were nearly always found grazing, and it was one of the worst 
Indian haunts in that entire section of country. As Arnett and his 
men advanced cautiously around a cedar-covered point, they discov- 
ered a party of Indians not far from them. The Indians were lead- 
ing several horses, and one of them was riding a splendid pony, 
which the men readily recognized as my property, a kind of pet which 
I called Belle. Arnett and his party, did not feel safe in attacking the 
Indians, but made a dash for camp and arrived late in the evening, 
their horses almost exhausted. We immediately .began miaking prep- 
arations to start after the Indians early the next morning, which we 
did, leaving Mr. Sims in charge of the camp, while I was placed in 
command of the squad. On reaching the place where the Indians 
had been seen the day before we discovered that they had evidently 
been frightened themselves, as their trail showed that for a distance 
of ten or fifteen miles they had ridden as fast as possible, leading 
several horses. 

The trail led north up to and along the east line of San Saba 
county; then it turned east to the north part of Hamilton county. 
Along the trail we frequently saw signs where they had roped horses. 
In fact, they had captured every horse along the line of their retreat, 
and every one of them was leading about two horses. Near the north 
line of Hamilton county the Indian trail intercepted and followed a 
large cattle trail. We followed this trail only a few miles further 
and found that another Indian trail came into the cattle trail, the 



A LETTER. • 117 



last Indians coming from the East, and this squad seemed to have 
been about equal in numbers to the squad we were following; and 
they had also been leading a considerable number of horses, a fact 
which we determined because the horses were travling three in a 
bunch, showing that one horse was being ridden and two others led. 
We also found along the big trail where they had killed three or four 
young beeves. 

From all indications, the Indians would have easily outnumbered 
us five to one, and, besides, they had plenty of good, fresh horses 
and several hours the start, while our horses were tired out. So we 
held a consultation and decided that it would be foolish to continue 
the pursuit any further, as the prospects were that we could not over- 
take the Indians, and the probabilities were that we would get the 
worst of an encounter with them should one take place. We then 
went west to the San Saba river, and then down the Colorado river, 
*-hrough the cedar brakes of Morgan's creek, to where we first strucK 
the trail, and then back to our camp, where we found Mr. Sims, wlio 
had carefully attended to everything during our absence. W^e then 
resumed the work of gathering cattle pending another redskin dis- 
turbance from some Indian reservation. 

I will «ay that it was a notorious fact that the people of Hamil- 
t(m county lost a great many horses and cattle about this time. We 
did not learn who lost the big herd, the trail of which we struck in 
the northern part of Hamilton county, as we neither saw horses nor 
men along the route we traveled ; but I afterwards learned that the 
principal losers were James Carter, "Big Bill" Keith md Solomon 
Barron, and others whose names I do not now recall, as that war- so 
many years ago. 

As to parties who lost horses and cattle, and who have good and 
just claims, I cannot remember all of them at this time, but will 
enumerate the following, all of whom I think can, or at least should, 
recover : 

The Northington amily, of Lam])asas county; Jolm ITinton of 
Llano county; Ewin Laey's widow, of Burnet county, and Joe Baw- 
com, of McCuloch county. 

' But, in conclusion, I certainly know, l)ut cannot prove positively, 
the identity of the tribes of Indians that committed the depre- 
dations in all of the counties from Kinney on the west to Tarrant 



118 A LETTER. 



on the east, and north and south across the State from 1850 to 1874. 
These depredations were committed, cnconraged or guided by the In- 
dians held, fed and protected by the United States Government, and 
known as Penatocas, or Southern Comanches, and only differing from 
the Northern Comanches in complexion, stature and general make-up. 
a.^ the white men of the North differ from the white men of the 
South. I have at different times been on the reservations of the Pen- 
atocas, have been in camp with two thousand of the Northern Co- 
manches, have seen many Indians pursued and killed while making 
their raids on the unprotected frontier, and all that I have seen T 
unequivocally pronounce as wards of the Government, even their 
trappings and fixtures fully verifying this conclusion, for I have 
observed closely and have arrived at this conclusion impartially and 
because facts would warrant no other conclusion in the matter. 

There were many who lost both cattle and horses in the big raid 
on the San Saba river. Some of these parties lost very heavily. A> 
to small losses, I could name very many of them, the owners of which 
arc justly entitled to recover for their property; but the long lapse 
of time and the disappearance of witnesses, by death and otherwise, 
added to the necessary delay of the courts, makes a small claim ut- 
terly worthless. As to your question about attorneys in this class 
of cases, I would recommend Col. I. E. Hitt and Wm. H. Eobeson, 
Bond Building, Washington, D. C, as they are perfectly reliable and 
possess extraordinary ability. In your letter you ask the question 
positvely, if I am personally knowing of any big bands of Indians 
that came down on the frontier people, and, if so, what counties did 
they raid? My answer is, Yes; the Indians that I, G. C. Arnett, Joe 
Bawcom and others followed out of Burnet county into Hamilton 
county were a part of a big band of Indians, as the trail proved to 
concentrate with other trails and made a very large trail. 

A band of one hundred or more went, all in a body, into Coleman 
county. 

The big raid on the San Saba must have contained several hun- 
dred Indians, as they swept the range of all stock in their track. 

The last raid in 1871, in Coleman county, where I struck with m\ 
company of State Eangers and completely routed them, horse and 
foot, each division in detail, after they had formed in several divi- 
sions for the purpose of stealing horses, when they came together 



A LETTER. 119 



to spread over a large section of country and drive everything in the 
way of cattle and horses. To show how completely I and my com- 
pfiny defeated their hellish purposes and schemes of murder and rob- 
bery, they were completely whipped, discouraged and left the country 
without getting a single hoof of cattle or horses, only what they 
killed and ate, and from that time down to the present date they 
have never returned. 

For your satisfaction and pleasure, whom I hold in the highest 
esteem, I would go into the details of this subject more fully and 
write an account of all the horrors it has been my misfortune to wit- 
ness during my long frontier life were my physical ability such as 
would permit of the labor. I have not told one-half of the incidents 
of horrors and outrages that I have personally witnessed and ex- 
perienced. 

Fraternally yours, W. J. Maltby, 



BOOK III. 



Newspaper Extracts. 



NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS. 123 



Ne\vspaper Extracts. 



Extract from the Soutliorn JNtorcurv, Dallas, Texas, of October 
31, 1903: 

The county exhil)its were all good. Taylor county carried off the 
hhic ril)hon. In Callahan connty, thongh there was the finest in- 
dividnal exhibits to be seen, the vegetables of this collection far ex- 
celled in size those shown in other counties. The exhibition here of 
Mr. W. J. Maltby, is an illustration of what has been, and what can 
be accomplished within a few short years. This enterprising gentle- 
man had on exhibition all grains, every species of fruit (and I believe 
abont as many vegetables), that were exhibited at this fair. The 
vegetables he had on exhibition far exceeded in size those seen else- 
where, as one can judge by the following: One roasting ear (perhaps 
the largest ever grown) measured 4 inches in diameter, 12 inches 
in circumference, and the length of a large Mason jar, after two or 
three inches had been cut off. A "Mammoth Chile" squash, weighed 
103 pounds. Mr. Maltby informed me these were grown principally 
for stock, on account of the immensity of size, though they were as nice 
for table use as the ordinary pumpkin. Then he had the William 
Henry Mall Price prize-taker (I am not certain if this is correct) 
onion, grown from seed sown in February, that attained a size of 
something a little less than two pounds. Two "Golden Queen" 
pepper pods took the blue ribbon at Abilene Fair, as did also his 



124 NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS. 

ochra. The pods were as large as a quince or a pear. He had the 
best flavored sun dried fruit, apples, peaches, Mission grapes and 
tomatoes, too, were sun dried. These Mission grapes are indigenous 
to ilexico, where they have been growing for hundreds of years. j\Ir. 
]\Ialtby went to Mexico for them, says they do well in his country. 
Dried, they are nearly as good as the California raisin. 

Dried tomatoes were something new to me; the flavo.r was good, 
and one need never be at a loss in winter time to know how to make 
good soup. The yellow preserve tomato about the size of- a walnut' 
was the kind seen. I asked him in regard to his almond crop, seeing 
some. The yield is uncertain, or has proven so with him thus far. 
though as his trees get older he hopes for better results; says it is 
a lovely tree. In this same collection was to be found sugar made 
of sorghum, and as far as I was capable of judging, it compared very 
favorably with that used in her family that sells nine pounds to the 
dollar. Syrup made of the sorghum was a bright golden color. I 
was tempted to taste it, but had tasted so much I doubted my ability 
to pass judgment. There were thirty-four varieties of wood on ex- 
hibition, thirty-three of which were grown by the exhibitor. The 
one not his was a pecan. Now, readers, this has all been accomplished 
in the miraculously short time of twelve years by Mr. Maltby, and in 
justice to him, and myself as well, I will say that Mr. M. has possessed 
advantages over us. He has availed himself of travel, and has no 
doubt profited by the experience of observation, while we, less for- 
tunate, have to experiment for ourselves and let ''chill penury repress 
our noble rage" in trying to emulate the example of our more suc- 
cessful neighbor. ' .Star. 



Baird Star, Baird, Texas, March 10, 1005: 

Editor Star: To give IVfrs. Joel Xabers a more correct account 
of the location of the historical government post of Phantom Hill 
and to refresh the memory of ^[r. Jesse Johnson, Sr., in Comanche 
Chief, I herewith give you the facts in detail as near as the memory 
of man can narrate after the lapse of tlfty-five years; and in this 



NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS. 125 



eoniurtion will give your many readers the dates of the location 
of most of the governnieiit posts in Texas, by wlioiii located, etc., as a 
matter of history that should he of interest to the many who have 
enjoyed the blessings that have followed their location. 

From IS 1 4 to ]Sr)'> (Jcneral Ai'hnckle, of the Tnitcd States arm v. 
was in command of the western j)art of Arkansas, the Indian Na 
tions, with their five tribes, and the novthrfii paii of Texas, with hi.s 
headquarters at Fort Smith, Ark. After the close of the Mexican 
war of 184(i-7, the Pnited States was responsible for the protection 
of Texas, with a frontier on the north on the '•Vind parallel running 
from Red river to the Rio Grande, a distance of six or seven hundred 
miles. This country was roamed oyer and depredated upon by all the 
different hostile bands of Indians, and from El Paso on the west 
to Corpus Christi on the south, a like distance of seven hundred miles, 
there was exposure to the depredations of marauding bands of IMexi- 
cans that infested the borders all along the Rio Grande. 

So our Uncle Samuel had fifteen hundred miles of much exposed 
frontier to guard, and the only way to do it was to build a line 
of posts from east to west and north to south, with many inter- 
mediate posts near the settlements to guard the settlers and their 
property. General Twiggs was placed in comman.l of the west 
or Rio Grande division, with headquarters at San Antonio, and ordered 
the building of the following posts, to-wit: Fort Bliss. El Paso; Fort 
Leaton, Presidio Del Norte; Fort Duncan, p]agle Pass; Fort Mc- 
intosh, Laredo; Fort Brown, Brownsville. 

As it will be only necessary to mention one of these named posts 
and Robert E. Lee's connection with it, we go back and take up the 
thread of our narrative in the location of Phantom Hill and what 
led up to it. 

In lH4d General Arbuckle ordered the titting out of an ex- 
pedition of one company of Ignited States infantry, ('a])tain Mar- 
cellus French to command, Ijieutenant Myers to act a,s quarternnister. 
with one hundred ox and mule teams, carpenters, sa])])ers and miners, 
and everything necessary to build and maintain a govei-nmcnt ])ost 
in tlie Creek Nation, somewhere near the Canadian river. I em- 
ployed myself to the then acting quartermaster at Fort Smith, Captain 
Montgomery by name and rank. He kept me in his office while the 
expedition was fitting out to carry orders and purchase what the de- 



126 NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS. 



partment did not have in stock, and when the expedition started T 
was sent along as a supernumerary to do anything, or to work in 
such harness as the quartermaster might throw on me. 

The progress of the expedition was rather slow as we had to 
make the road as we went. AVhen we had got say seventy-five miles 
from Fort Smith and had to stop to huild a road over a creek 
with high banks, one of the men was taken sick and on tlie tliird 
day developed a full case of the smallpox of a malignant type. Here 
Avas consternation of the worst form, and the (miy thing that could 
be done for the government doctor to order every man u\) to his 
ttnt and vaccinate as fast as possible. 'J'he sick man died and no 
one else of the entire party took the disease. (Considering this in 
all its bearings, it was Providential. 

The expedition moved on to its ol)jective jioint, and Fort Ar- 
buckle, No. 1, was located and huilt. When built it looked more 
like an old-fashioned nigger's quarter than a government i)ost, for there 
was nothing'to be had but the native timber as it stood in the I'orest. 

Late in the fall Captain French discovered a better loeation for 
a post, some eighteen miles south at a big spring near the Washit.i 
river, in the Chickasaw Nation. So Fort Arbuckle, No. 1, was given 
to Black Beaver, chief of the Delaware tril)e of Indians for his head- 
quarters, and the troops were moved to the Big Wild Horse Spring 
in the Chickasaw Nation, and Fort Arbuckle, No. 2, built, where 
it has stood as a government post ever since. 

A big government ox train loaded with supplies arrived about 
the first of November. 1 went back to Fort Smith with it and 
reached there the last of the month. A cabin was built in the Porto 
river bottom, a big canebrake, and the oxen were moved to it. 1 
was put in charge with a few of the teamstei's to herd the oxen. 
preparatory to the location of two governnu'nt ])osts on or about tiic 
3;^nd parallel in Texas, wliich posts were named Belknap and Phantom 
Hill, respectively. 

So in the spring of 18r)() a train of 1(»() oi' l.")0 ox and six-mule 
teams was fitted out at Fort Smith, with several com])anies of the 
Fifth Infantry, and ordered forward to locate the al)ov(> ])osts. When 
the expedition reached old Fort \\'ashington in the Choctaw Xation. 
near the line Texas, l^ieutenant Bliss was ordert'd to take some men 
and teams and go to Shreveport, La., after some ordnance stores 



NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS 127 



etc., with instructions to travel back on tlic west side of Rcrl river 
until he struck the road made by the command which was to cross 
Eed river at Coffey's Bend at a little town called Preston, and es- 
tablish a quartermaster's store there, with ]\Iajor George W. Wood as 
quartermaster. 

I was sent with Lieutenant Bliss to Shreveport, at which place I 
was promoted to engineer. With six fine gray government mules and 
a six-pound brass cannon I was to head the expedition the balance 
of the trip. To say that I was proud of my promotion would be 
expressing it very mildly. 

In the country through which we traveled the settlements were 
few and far between, but coming to a nice farm house where every- 
thing betokened some refinement, Ijieutenant Bliss ordered me to 
halt while he dismounted and went in. He presently reappeared with 
a nice old lady and, oh, my ! two Iieautiful daughters, for us boys 
to feast our eyes upon, which was a treat indeed, for we had been 
away from home and society until the pretty girls looked to us like 
angels. The old lady was much excited over the cannon, and inquired 
of the Lieutenant if it was the kind of gun that Captain Taylor had in 
Mexico. The Lieutenant smilingly replied, "Yes, madam, this is 
one of the little things General Taylor had for toys when he played 
with the Mexicans." 

Lieutenant Bliss struck the road made l)y the command in Gray- 
son County west of Preston and followed it, overtaking the com- 
mand where it had halted and located Fort Belknap, Post No.l. Here 
a rest of some time was taken to recruit the teams for the onward 
march to locate Post Xo. 2. So I will say that about the 15th of 
December the order was given to load, hitch up and nmrch, and my 
recollection is, with one company of the Fifth fnfantry, ]\Iajor Thomas 
as the commanding officer. Black Beaver, chief of tlie Delaware 
Lndians, as guide, and lOO mule and ox teams to haul camp equippage 
and supplies. The expedition moved forward on Captain ]\Iarcy's 
Santa Fc trail, which led west on the north side of the Clear Fork 
of the Brazos. 

The third night after leaving Fort Belknaj) we camp(>d in a l)eau- 
tiful basin surrounded by moimtains, an ideal camp ground, and as 
we had to depend entirely on grass for forage, the mules were tied 



128 NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS 



to tlie wa<j:ons until 2 o'clock in the morning and tbcn turned loose to 
graze, witli men to licrd ti.ll daylight. 

This was my morning to go on herd. ^ly mess consisted of three, 
myself anil two others. About fonr o'clock my mess called lue to 
breakfast. 1 liad no ai)i)etite tliat morning wliicJi was uiiiisiial for 
me, as 1 was known as a good feeder. When (hiy Ix'gan to In'eak 
orders sounded to dj-ive up and liiteb up, at wbicli time the aged 
chief, Black Beaver, witb bis e.xjjerience of West 'I'exas, went to Majni' 
Tbonuis and told Iiim that he had l)ctter stay at that itieal camp 
ground, as there was a fearful "Nortber" approaching, to which 
Major Thomas turned a deaf ear, as he had a fine closed back and 
a fine pair of black horses to draw it. By good da^iight Major 
Thomas, guide and soldiers bad taken tbe old Marcy trail and gone, 
giving the quartermaster notice when he was to leave. It was the 
supposition that tbe Major's hack tracks would plainly mark the way; 
but, alas ! the supposition proved wrong : for a few moments after tbe 
quartermaster left camp, myself with the cannon, the caisson and 
the major's baggage wagon following close up to him, tbe storm broke 
upon us with all its fury : and when the quartermaster reached tbe 
place where he thought he bad been directed to turn off from tbe 
Marcv trail and travel in a westerly direction he turned off, but 
could not find any marks of the Major's hack tracks. 

I followed close up to tbe ((uartermaster Avith tbe caisson and the 
Major's baggage wagon close up to me. When tbe quartermaster 
found himself, tbe storm ba.l drifted him some three mih\^ south 
of the trail to a big canyon that we could not cross. There was but 
one way out of tbis distressing dilemma, and tbat was to turn back 
and face the storm of sleet and bail, tbat seemed to strike us witb 
as much force as it shot out of a cannon. 

By a superhuman effort tbe quartermaster drove the spurs into 
his horse and held him to the wagon tracks that we had made, which 
brought us back to where we had left tbe old trail. It required all 
the energy that we drivers could put forth to run along by tbe side 
o^" our teams and force tliem against tbe storm, which struck them 
and us full in the face. 

When we bad got back to where we had left the trail tbe (piarter- 
master said, "Boys, for God sake, try to make a fire, for I believe 
we shall all freeze to death." And then tbe language he used about 



NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS 129 

his commanding officer for not leaving a guide to direct him^, would 
not do to put in print. There was an ax in the Major's haggage 
wagon and some dry material. John White, the driver, got them 
out, and as there was plenty of dry mesquite trees at the spot, I took 
the ax and went to splitting up wood with a will, urged on by ne- 
cessity. The two other drivers kindled a fire, and in a short time we 
had a life-giving blaze. The drivers brought up thpir wagons, 
jumped off their saddle mules and hovered over the fire. 

During this time the quartermaster had never stopped his nuul 
ride in search of the Major's hack tracks. I lieard a halloa. 1 
threw down the ax. My team was nearby, standing all huddled up, 
freezing to death. T grabbed my lines and whip and forced them 
to their utmost, running along side of tliem, and soon overtook 
the quartermaster and kc})t up with him on a run until we reached 
Camp Necessity. 

And why Necessity? 

The Major's fine horses stopped and refused to go any further, 
and lie bad to stop just where he was ; and wlien he was asked why he 
had camped in such a place he replied. "It was a military necessity." 

Could he have forced his horse a few miles further, the quarter- 
master and several more men and mules would have fallen victims 
to his rashness in not heeding the advice of the old Indian. 

The soldiers had managed to have good fires. When we reached 
them the quartermaster was frozen so that he could not dismount 
and had to be lifted from his horse and carried to the fire. The 
doctor administered brandy to him and had hi in rubbed, and his 
life was saved; but to this day I cannot see how any man could 
live in the saddle and cover as many miles as he did on that never- 
to-be-forgotten day. 

Some one or two hours later the wagons began to come into camp 
until twenty or thirty came in; and as the wagonmaster was still 
back and no one to give orders what to do with the nndes, the drivers 
unharnessed and let them go as they pleased. Late in the day some 
of the teamsters brought in their teams and left their wagons on the 
wav; and many that liad their blankets in the wagons turned their 
mules loose, got into their wagons, coveivd np heads and ears and 
remained so until we went back the next day and halloaed them up. 
As the mules had been turned loose as they came into camp, they 



130 NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS 



drifted away with the stonu. As there was no M-agonmaster to give 
orders, I asked one of the teamsters by the name of Bill Stevens, a 
very powerful young man, to go with me and see if we could not 
drive them hack. He said yes, and we struck out to lierd the mules 
back. We got off sonic tliree miles from camp, running and working, 
but could not do anything witli tbein, so we had to give them up, 
and started back lo camp, as we supposed. Wc luul not gone far after 
leaving the mules, when, to our good luck, we met.Bhick Beaver, the 
guide. He said, "Halloa, Beaver, wbere arc you going?" He said 
he was going to camp. We said, "Ob, no, Beaver, that ain't the way 
to camp," which seemed to nettle him — for us to presume to question 
him in direction and he the guide. He replied, "You go that way, 
me go this way," and made off and didn't look back. We consulted a 
few moments, and thought it best to follow Beaver, which saved our 
lives, for we were surely lost and could not have survived through 
the night. 

About the time myself and Stevens got back to camp three or 
four of the teamsters came in, bringing their saddle-mules, having 
turned the rest loose, and had left their wagons. They reported 
that James Morehead, Avho had started with them, had not come up 
and they feared he would freeze to death, whereupon Billy Benton, 
a noble-hearted boy and a nephew of Senator Benton of Missouri. 
said to the wagonmaster, William Locklin, "If you will let me have 
your horse, I will go back and try to get Morehead to camp.'' The 
wagonmaster consented but advised him not to go, and others en- 
deavored to dissuade him, but the noble-hearted boy replied, "More- 
head shall not freeze to death if I can save him." So he moimted 
the horse, which was a good one, and he forced him to his best for 
five miles. He found Morehead sitting down, speechless. He dis- 
mounted and tried to lift him on the horse, but he could not do it. 
So he remounted and returned to camp and reported, as here written. 
Mr. Locklin called for volunteers to go after Morehead. I responded 
and also William Kemper and William Lace, So we three caught 
the first four mules that we came to, hitched thein to an unloaded 
wagon, put a camp kettle full of good solid coals of fire in it, the 
wagonmaster got a bottle of In-andy from tlie doctor, Kemper got on 
the saddle mule, Lacey got in tlie wagon by tlie kettle of coals and I led 
the head mule by the bridle. This was our only chance to rescue our 



NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS 131 



comrade, without a trained saddle mule or leader. On reaching the spot 
designated by Benton we foimd the poor fellow lying straight on hitf 
back. The wagonmaster ran his hand under his clotlies and felt of 
Ills heart, and said, "Boys, his Jieart is still." He opened his mouth 
and poured some brandy down his throat. We then picked him 
gently up and put him in the wagon, with his feet to the kettle 
of coals, and went hack to camp as we had come, me leading the 
head mule all the way both ways. We got back al)oiit \2 o'clock at 
night, and here some friendly hand gave me a cup of good, strong 
coffee, the only thing I had taken since the morning before. Reader, 
the exhilerating effects of that coft'ee can't be described. Suffice it to 
say that it warmed, vibrated and tingled to the ends of my toes, 
for 1 had then run and walked in that biting storm over forty miles 
without food. After drinking that seemingly life-giving coffee, I 
stood around the fire until I was dry and warm. I then looked 
around and found a Avagon with but one occupant, covered up snug 
and warm. 1 quickly crawled in beside him, raised the blankets, 
snuggled close up to him. with my boots and clothes all on, and was 
soon in the land of dreams, surrounded by singing birds, flowing 
fountains and perpetual roses, as a reward for what I had Just gone 
through. 

Providence seemed to pity our forlorn condition and sent us a 
change in the weather, for the next morning the win.l had ceased 
and the sun rose bright and clear. We were all up early, trying to find 
something to appease the cravings of hunger for by this time the in- 
ner man was calling for help in no uncertain feeling. We russled up 
some fat pickled pork, soldier hard tack and coffee, of which T ate 
about one pound of raw, fat jiork, five or six hard tacks and drank a 
(piart of strong coffee, and then felt equal to any or all emergencies. 
The wagonmasters were compelled to keep their horses tied up to go 
in pursuit of the mules; so after we had eaten our hasty and short 
ration breakfast all struck out, horse and foot, in every direction to 
round them up. By 10 o'clock we had most of the live mules caught, 
but many had been frozen and rounded up for the last time by the 
storm. 

Teams were fitted \\\) and wc went back to bring up the wagons 
and men that were left behind in the storm. We found all the men 
that had been left in their wagons, covered up head and ears in their 



132 NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS 



blankets. By night we had got everything to camp. Eations were is- 
sued, we got another square meal, and buried our dead comrade, who, 
like many thousands, had lost his life in trying to carry out an un- 
necessary military order. 

The next morning what teams were left were hitched to 
the wagons and Camp Necessity was left. About noon we reached 
the Clear Fork of the Brazos at a good natural ford, due to the 
guideship of Black Beaver. The major drove over and I followed 
him with my cannon. When he reached the rise on the south bank 
about one mile southwest, a beautiful hill covered with beautiful 
trees was plain in sight. We moved forward to it, and as we ap- 
proached it the hill and trees became less and less. When the Major 
got near it, he halted, called bis officers, got out of his hack, and they, 
with Black Beaver, walked all over the little hill and grove, and when 
he returned he said, "Here we locate Fort Phantom Hill, for this is 
one spot where distance lends enchantment to the view." Hence 
the Eame, Phantom Hill. 

The order was then to drive up and unload, camp and rest. The 
word "Rest" was like pouring oil of gladness on troubled waters, for 
we had traveled under the burnino^ suns of summer and in the 
frosts of winter, since early spring, before we reached this haven. 

As the range was as fine as any in the world, and it was necessary 
to recruit the mules before starting on the long trip back to Fort 
Smith in the midst of winter. Phantom Hill was an ideal spot for the 
purpose. Grass and water were abundant for the mules and wild 
game for the men. There was a heavy crop of acorns in the big 
rough near tlie post, and deer and turkeys had collected to it from 
far and near. They had never heard the report of a gun or seen a 
white man. They were so fat and contented that they did not seem 
to fear us, and all we had to do was to sally forth after dark, armed 
with a long pole, and knock off the low, spreading elms the nice, 
fat turkeys which we would carry to camp. So we had turkey fixings 
and ilour doings to our heart's content. Antelope were in all direc- 
tions, 500 in a herd, like flocks of sheep. We thanked the gods 
01 Phantom Hill for giving us tliis feast, rest and sunshine after the 
storm. Who can blame the Indians for fighting for this paradise 
when civilization sought to take it away from them by force of arras? 

As my recollection serves me, about the first of January, Mr. Lock- 



NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS 133 

lin, the wagonmaster, was ordered to hitch up the train and draw- 
rations to carry the outfit back to Preston and at Preston to draw- 
rations to last to Fort Smith. 

Everyhing went smootli witli us till we got to Preston. Here 
IMajor Wood, tlie quartorniastei", kept several of the best teams, 
mine with the others. The other l)oys wlio had to give up their 
teams took it as a matter of course. Not so with mo. Mine was 
the fanciest and best team in the train, and I loved them better 
than I ever loved any mules that were really mine. They turned 
over to me an old, broken-down team to drive to Fort Smith, and I 
swore straight up and dow^n that I would not drive them. But as my 
home and dear mother were at Fort Smith, and the thoughts of get- 
ting to see her soon by driving the team, and getting to tell her 
that her boy had seen the elephant, rhinoceros or some other big 
animal in the location of Phantom Hill, nuide me relent; so I made 
a virtue of necessity, got some shears, roacheJ them up nicely and tied 
two of the poorest ones behind tlie wagon. The quarternuister bought 
corn all through the nations. I fed and curried them and tried to 
make them look pretty, especially to drive into Fort Smith. So the 
morning we drove in I hitched them all up, and when we got near 
the Fort Mr. Locklin halted the train and sent for me, 
■ "Jeff," he said, pointing to his baggage team in the lead, "this 
is your team to drive into the fort." 

Reader, I w^as prouder of that promotion than any promotion 
that I ever received in a long life on the frontier of Texas. I hope 
the reader will pardon this seeming piece of egotism. The old-time 
government mule-whacker is fast passing away in Texas, and those 
of them who were ambitious loved their mules and prided themselves 
on their close drives; and the cowboy loved his mount, and was as 
desirous of approbation and applause as a congressman at the present 
day. 

In the spring of 1851 a mrde train of forty six-mule teams was 
loaded with an army supplies and ordered to Phantom Hill. I went 
with it as carpenter, hunter, etc. Colonel Abererombie was sent along 
to take command of the post. He had a nice ambulance to haul him 
and his nice little wife, and he called her the pet name of "Dickey." 
When w^e got to the west fork of the Trinity it was swollen from 
heavy rains. I went in and waded it to see if we could cross. 



134 NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS 



It was only about waist deep and we began to prepare to cross. Colonel 
Abererombie asked me if I would carry "Dickey" over. He saifl 
she was afraid to go over in the ambulance as the ciirrent might 
capsize it. As I was already wet, I said, "Yes, with pleasure." Miss 
"Dickey," as I will call her, was a very small, neat little woman, 
'.veighing about 100 pounds, which was nothing for me to carry at 
that time, particularly when the load was in the shape and sub- 
stance that it was. So I picked her up and set her on my shoulder 
aJid made across, and when I set her little feet on the south bank 
of West Trinity the temptation was so great that I had to give her 
a nice, little brotherly hug. She smiled and thanked me for bringing 
her safely across. I respectfully raised my hat and replied, "It is 
yours and the Colonel's to command; it is mine to obey." 

Our train moved on to Phantom Hill, unloaded and returned to 
Fort Smith. As it passed Preston Major Wood, the quartermaster 
at that place, wanted me to stop with him, which I did. In the 
fall he received orders to abandon the quartermaster's department 
at Preston and go to Austin and take charge at that place. I went 
with him in charge of his wagon train. After we got to Austin he 
placed me under Major Albert Sidney Johnston, who was then pay- 
master in the United States army, with headquarters at Austin. 
He paid off the troops at Fort Crogan, Phantom Hill, Belknap, Gra- 
ham and Fort Worth. 

At that time there was not a house where Fort Worth now stands. 
The old post was occupied by one company of dragoons, commanded 
by Captain James Oaks. In 1852, or 1853, Lieutenant-Colonel R. E. 
Lee did command at Phantom Hill, although history says not. At; 
that time the post was occupied by several companies of the Fifth 
Infantry. 

A train of forty six-mule teams was loaded with government sup- 
plies for Phantom Hill, with orders to move Lieutenant Colonel 
R. E. Lee with five companies of the Fifth Infantry to Fort Mc- 
intosh, Laredo, on the Rio Grande. 

I was with the train as carpenter from start to finish. The season 
was very bad, waters were high, and we were a long time on the road. 
We were two weeks getting across the Nueces at old Fort Ewell. 

On this trip I was very much impressed with the soldierly bear- 
ing and Christian simplicity of Colonel Lee. 



NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS 135 



I was in government employ continuously from the spring of 1849 
to December 20th, 1855, I miglit say on the frontier of Texas, in the 
various capacities of teamster, wagonmaster, carpenter, scout, dis- 
patcli bearer and, like David Copperfield of old, doer of odd jobs; 
in which time I have seen as many of the officers who did United 
States duty here on the frontier as any living man, 1 suppose. 

I see an article in tlie Sentinel from the old captain. It sounds 
somewhat funny. I wonder if the captain ever had any experience 
in getting the ropes on the worthless little doggie that he tliinks 
there is so much money in. The liide may be all right, and the tallow 
too; the question is how to catch the dog in quantities that would 
pay. Will not the time and expense overrun the profits? I have 
managed to kill the dogs off twenty acres with poison and carbon 
and if ever I found a dead dog on top of the ground I do not remem- 
ber it. And even if I could poison the dog and get him I would 
not like to pull the pelt from him. I think the Captain was letting 
his mind wander off in imagination and was thinking ot the wonder- 
ful wealth that could be accumulated in case the doggie was as large 
as a mule and as fat as a bear in mast time. His idea that there 
was more money in that worthless dog than in the richest gold mine 
in California was purely imaginary and not real. I think a success- 
ful recipe how to kill the doggie would bring the dog catchers more 
money than the 5-cent tax and the hide and tallow put together. 
Just think of the tenant farmers out in West Texas catching dogs 
and selling hides and tallow and paying for the land that he caught 
the dogs off. Putting $5,000,000 in circulation would be worth 
wonders in West Texas. I will agree with the Captain that if the 
State will pay 5 cents for the scalp, and 10 cents can be had for 
the hide and oil, and they can be caught in large quantities so that 
the expense will not be so great, the $5,000,000 can be put in circu- 
lation. In multitude of couusel tbert' is wisdom, and in killing a 
multitude of prairie dogs there is iihrIi labor and expense. I hope 
the Captain will go into the details of this wonderful scheme. There 
is a time for all things and there must be a time to kill prairie 
dogs, and I find it a difficult matter to kill them out of their dens. 
I wonder what Middle, South and East Texas would say to taxing 
them to kill the dogs for West Texas. I fail to see the point where 
exterminating the dogs would bring prosperity and happiness to 



136 NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS 



it^' citizens. With proper enactment of a scalp law Texas can furnish 
homes to thousands of poor and deserving tenant farmers is another 
statement that needs to be explained, especiall}^ to as shortsighted 
a man as I am. The Captain slings a ready pen and gets oif in tine 
sty]e, but fails to make his points. There is not a tenant farmer 
who is able to go into the dog killing business, who is not able to 
take up a school claim and go to farming and make a good livings 
and kill the dogs off his own land without a scalp law. My guess is 
that I am into it now and there will not be a grease spot left of 
me Avhen the Captain gets through with me. There is one point the 
Captain made. He said the editor of the Sentinel is in the middle 
of the road. C. A. CLEMMER. 



HOMES FOR THE PEOPLE, WEALTH FOR THE STATE 
AND JUSTICE FOR THE HOWLERS. 

Editor Sentinel : 

As you are in the middle of the road and desirous of giving 
justice to all men, politically and otherwise, for the advancement of 
our State and the betterment of its people, as you see it, I submit 
this article asking your comments and the comments of others on a 
subject that has engrossed my attention for many years, and, from 
my point of view, a question of no small importance to the State of 
Texas and its people. I wish to incite thought and get the people 
to commenting, for "in the multitude of counsel there is wisdom," 
saith the Scripture; again, "there is a time to all things/' and 



NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS 137 



again, "cast thy bread upon tlie water, and it shall be gathered up 
many days hence," etc. So I here make the bold assertion, without 
the fear of successful contradiction that the State of Texas has a 
rich gold mine in the proper enactment of a scalp law — a mine that 
will "pan out" more gold and more happiness to its people than any 
gold mine in California. 

The wealth of a State consists in its public improvements and in 
the homes and happiness and prosperity of its citizens. With the 
proper enactment of a scalp law Texas can furnish homes to thousands 
of poor but deserving tenant farmers who never would be able to ob- 
tain a home under present conditions; and the waste places of West 
Texas can be made to rejoice and blossom as the rose, and the song 
of the hardy pioneer and his happy children to echo from Dan to 
Beersheba in praise of the State that utilized a curse and converted 
it into an untold blessing. 

The prairie dogs of West Texas are worth as much' to the State 
a;^ the land, if utilized as they should and can be. If the State will 
put a bounty of 5 cents each on prairie dog scalps and make it sure 
and secure for the space of ten years, every section of agricultural land 
in West Texas will be dotted with homes, and the increase in taxable 
values will in twenty years treble what it now is which would be bread 
cast upon the waters, returning three-fold after many days, and many 
people made prosperous and happy. 

Now, for the gold mine. If the State will put this 5-cent bounty 
on prairie, dog scalps, and make it permanent and secure for the 
space of ten years, then the foundation is laid for the people of the 
State to realize 10 cents clear on each dog; that is, it would put 
that amount of money in circulation out of something that is worse 
than nothing, as is generally considered. We have boarded and lodged 
Mr. Prairie Dog for lo ! these many 3'ears, and he can be made to pay 
handsomely for his entertainment. Estimating that there are fifty 
million prairie dogs .in West Texas, and that ten cents on each one of 
them can be put into circulation, we see that it would add five million 
dollars to the circulation in West Texas, out of worse than nothing 
as viewed from an ordinary standpoint. But as all questions have two 
sides to them it may be that the dog was put in West Texas by a 
wise Providence to furnish the means whereby people could obtain 
homes. From my standpoint it would be easy to settle up West Texas 



138 NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS 



by means of the prairie dog, but difficult unless we utilize this means. 
The way to realize the ten cents on each dog is for the State to prop- 
erly fix the scalp law. When that is done and is generally known a 
grand and continued Oklahoma rush will be made for the school 
lands of West Texas. If properly set on foot there will be a general 
demand for their pelts and oil. Their pelts will command 5 cents 
apiece and each dog will render 5 cents worth of fine oil, which will 
put into circidation among the people $5,000,000 in the space of ten 
years, which amount will be used in the purchase of lands and the 
making of homes, resulting in a richer mine for Texas than any 
in California. 

To go into the general details of this subject would make this 
article too long. My object is to incite thought and invite criticism, 
a^, the time for the destruction and utilization of the destructive ani- 
mals of West Texas has probably come. 

Prairie Doggie, thine for the right, homes for the people, and 
justice and progress for the howlers. W. J. MALTBY. 



CAPT. W. J. MALTBY INTERVIEWED BY A EEPOETER 
REPRESENTA TI VE. 

(Abilene Reporter, May 92, 1891.) 

' Capt. W. J. Maltby, one of the most prominent Texas farmers 
and horticulturists, favors the Reporter with the following inter- 
view. Capt. Maltby needs no introduction to the progressive farmers 
of this State; he needs no introduction to the horticulturists of the 



NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS 139 



United States, with whom he has met in national convention at the 
annual meetings of the American Horticultural Society. He is a 
member in high standing of this organization, and is also a member 
of the Texas Horticultural Society, and is on important committees 
of both. The reporter asked : 

"May I ask you what you think of the future of Abilene and 
the Abilene country ?" 

"I think that in the near future Abilene will be a city of 50,000 
inhabitants." 

"Why do you think so?" 

"Because it has the three first great natural advantages to make 
it a city: (1) Health — a perfect absence from malaria. (2) Location 
— distance from other places of note. (3) Fertility of its soils and 
vastness of their extent. Every observing man that travels over the 
Abilene country will be convinced that there is not now, nor never 
can be, any local cause for sickness, which is the first consideration 
in any country. As to location, must say that it is the best located 
of any inland city in the State. It is directly in the geographical cen- 
tei of the State, and Texas, as a State, will be the wonder of the world 
and the center, like the center of man or beast, is the vital part. The 
name Abilene should be changed to Central City, which would add 
one million dollars to it and the country the first year. 

"Abilene is destined to become one of the leading railroad centers 
of the State, the natural gaps in the mountains on direct lines to the 
seaboard south, and to Denver, Colorado, and Santa Fe north, the 
lines running their entire length through fertile agricultural, horti- 
cultural and the best of stock-raising countries, which will make 
them paying roads from the start, insures their building at an early 
date. As to the citizens and business men of Abilene, they are worthy 
to occupy the goodly country of their choice. For uiorals, hospitality, 
enterprise, 'git up and git' they may have eciuals, but no superiors; 
and let me make the assertion, without fear of contradiction, that 
for morals and orderly conduct, Abilene takes the lead. 

"In case a flow of water is not reached in the artesian well what 
will Abilene do for a supply of water to support a city? That cuts 
no figure in the case whatever. Abilene has a never failing spring of 
pure water of sufficient volume, and with sufficient elevation, to put 
the water 100 feet above the city, for a city of any size or capacity." 



140 NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS 



"Then do you think that the Ahilene country is an agricultural 
and horticultural country, and the place for the industrious, enterpris- 
ing homeseeker and capitalist?" 

"I do/' , ,, ,. 

"Are you a practical farmer and fruit grower?" 

"I am." 

"How long have you lived in this country?" 

"I am the pioneer or one of the pioneers. My advent into this 
country dates back to the location of Forts Belknap and Phantom Hill, 
in the year 1850." 

"What has been your experience and observation in regards to 
rain fall sufficient to make general crops?" 

"I have seen the country settle up from Red river to the Rio 
Grande on the thirty-second parallel, and the history of each county 
west as it settled up has been the same. Too dry for two or threo 
years to make farming successful, but as more land was put into cul- 
tivation and the prairie fires were stopped that destroyed and stunted 
the growth of the forests and native trees, the rainfall increased eacli 
year, until there is an abundance and oft-times too much for suc- 
cessful farming." 

"But the Abilene country has had serious drouths which have 
materially retarded its progress?" 

"I admit that, but such a thing will never occur again, because 
our seasons are so long, and on any 100 acres of our tillable soil 
in the Abilene country, any intelligent, practical and well-to-do 
funner can grow all the grain, grasses, fruit, fln\^ors and vogeiables 
that grow in the temperate zone. Under favorable seasons intelligence 
and perserverance, backed by long seasons and the best virgin soil 
of vast extent, will never record failure." 

"How do you think our climate and fruit in the Abilene country 
will compare with California?" 

"Very favorably, the difference in the climate is the way the 
thing is done. The Californians sell climate for from $100 to 
$500 per acre and throw in the land. The Abilene country 
sells land for from $5 to $ 35 per acre, and throws all the 
right they have to the climate in, and there isn't more than a nickel's 
difference in the climate, taken all through. The fruit of the future 



NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS 141 

will vie with the fruit of California, with nearness to market in favor 
of the Abilene country." 

"Have you lands for sale or are you interested in the sale of 
land?" 

"No, I have no lands for sale nor am I interested in anyway 
wnatever with the sale of lands, but shall buy, as fast as my limited 
means will allow me, and keep as a heritage for my children." 



142 NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS 



CAPT. W. J. MALT BY' ^ LETTER A DRESS ED TO THE BELLE 
PLAINE ALLIANCE, CALLAHAN COUNTY, TEXAS. 



(From West Texas Sentinel, x\bilene, Texas, March 8, 1893.) 

Mr. D. Campbell, President Belle Plaine Alliance. 

Dear Sir and Brother : Circumstances over which I have no 
control prevent my being present with 30U in person at your 
meeting on the third Saturday in February. I therefore address the 
meeting with my pen, through you, on matters pertaining to the "good 
of the order." 

Brethren and Sisters — Although I cannot be wiih you in person 
to-day, let this suffice as proof that my spirit is with you in your 
noble work of trying to better the condition of yourselves, your fam- 
ilies and your fellow men morally, socially and financially. And when 
you take a retrospective survey of your work you ought to feel 
encouraged, for the Bible plainly says that a tree is known by its 
fruit, and "by their fruits shall ye know them." 

The fruits that you have cultivated are morals, temperance, 
Christianity, brotherly love, justice and general reformation, advance- 
ments in agriculture, horticulture, the beautifying of homes and the 
happiness of their inmates and the betterment of your fellow citi- 
zens. The cultivation of such fruits as these cannot bring the blush of 
shame to the cheek of any man or woman inside the bounds of civiliza- 
tion or within God's moral vineyard. Then you must receive the 
applaudit, "Well done, thou good and faithful servants." If you are 



NEWSP&PER EXTRACTS 143 

conscious of having done your duty and that your labors have brought 
forth good fruit, you are enjoined in the Bible that as you have put 
your hand to the plow you must not turn or look back, but with 
the eye of faith fixed steadily forward, onward and upward (in the mid- 
dle of the road, so to speak), neither turning to the right nor 
the left, but with full confidence in God's promise to the righteous that 
he should "never be forsaken nor his seed be found begging bread," 
asking justice for yourselves and granting the same to all others, de- 
manding equal rights to all and special privileges to none, neither 
morally, socially or politically, so far as the government is concerned 
— advancements all along the line in the condition and intellectual 
training of the producing classes. Whenever and whatever the pro- 
ducing classes are intelligent, prosperous and happy all other oc- 
cupants flourish. Then the legitimate conclusion must be that the 
producer is the leaven that leaveneth the whole lump; and anything 
that legislative or other influences can bring to bear to better its 
condition morally, socially, financially and politically betters his 
home, betters his neighborhood, betters his county, betters his State 
and betters his general government. The true fundamental prin- 
ciples of democratic government begin in a log cabin or home, and 
whatever will mete out equal justice and advancement to each mem- 
ber of that family will mete out he same o the neighborhood, county, 
State and general government. 

The sword of Washington and the pen of Jefferson gave to us the 
greatest country and the grandest constitution under the sun. The 
pen of Jefferson wrote the words that made tyrants and crowned 
heads tremble, and that will live until time shall be no more — the 
words, "AH men are born free and equal." Then, as I see it, the fruits 
of the alliance and the objects sought are equal protection to all 
classes of men, special privileges to none; equal representation, equal 
taxation, equal opportunities to beautify the earth and make it a 
fit temporary abode for man, and a proper footstool for the Author 
of man's existence. Thomas Jefferson was the greatest horticulturist 
of the age in which he lived. He planted the tree of democracy, and 
planted its roots in good, virgin soil, and its roots went downward 
and its trunk went upward and its branches spread outward until 
it gave shade and protection to the American people. And he left 
the people to dress and keep it, and he solemnly warned them 



144 NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS 



tbxat "eternal vigilance is the price of liberty," and told them that 
whenever any of the branches became decayed and failed to hear the 
fruit for which it was planted they were to be lopped off and new 
branches permitted to grow out in their stead and bear the required 
fruit, and the name of the fruit was "The greatest good to the greatest 
number — forever." To which every true alliance man will respond 
"Amen ! God grant, and so mote it be." 

Now, my friends, I wish to relate a little anecdote on an old darky 
and make an application to show the vanity of manlvind had they the 
audacity to express themselves as the old darky did. Just after the 
war, when the darkies thought the bottom rail had gotten on top, an 
old darky doAvn in Eastern Texas ran for the legislature and in his 
speeches he always quoted the constitution thusly: "My fellow citi- 
zens — Old Mars Jefferson he say in de declarshun ob independence 
dat all men am born'd free an' equal, and he furdermore says dat 
if enybody hal) de preferens gib it to de darky." Now, to illustrate: 
If it were left to the banker, he would say "Give it to the banker." 
The merchant would say, "Give it to the merchant.'' The lawyer 
woul say, "Give it to the lawyer." The doctor would say, "Give it 
to the doctor," and the meek and lowly num — the preacher — he too 
would say, "If any man has the preference give it to the preacher." 
And last but not least, my friends, old Hayseed, too, Avould exclaim 
with a rising voice, "Give it to the farmer." And, as I am a sort of a 
jack-leg farmer myself I hope my vanity may be pardoned, for I would 
reiterate the language of the old darky and say, "If enybody hab de 
preferens, gib it to de farmer." The farmer may have some excuse for 
his vanity. If we believe the Bible (and most of us do), we read in 
Genesis that in the beginning, after all otlier animated things had been 
cceated, God said : "Behold, there is not a man to till the soil." iVnd 
God took the dust of the eartli and made man, and Ijreathed into 
his nostrils the breath of life, and man l)ccame a living soul. And 
God named him iVdam — the father of all living. And the Lord 
God planted a garden over eastward in Eden, over which he placed 
that num Adam, the father of all living, to cultivate the soil and 
to dress the garden and keep it. So Adam, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, 
Noah and all- the patriarchs of old were cultivators of the soil (or flock 
masters, which is nearly the same), and the Bible further tells us 
that a stream cannot rise higher than its fountain. Then, if we are 



NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS 145 



descendants of Adam we cannot rise above him. He was a farmer^ 
and received his occupation from Uod himself, as the leading occupa- 
tion of the earth. Then all other occupations must be secondarj^ to 
this. You have tlie highest authority that your calling is noble and 
pure. You are the men who make nations and armies and sustain 
them. You are men who have planted the banners of your country 
upon the highest pinnacles of fame, and have everywhere subdued 
foes and built ha})py homes in their stead. You are the men who have 
founded this government that was cemented l\v the pen and constitu- 
tion of Jefferson, and perpetuated by the loyal devotion of Lincoln, 
and should its hour of supreme peril ever come your dauntless legion, 
with devoted patriotism, will protect it unto salvation. In chorus — as 
one man — "This republic of Waslnngton and Lincoln must be 
respected by all the world, and its benign constitution must, can and 
shall be administered in the interest of all classes of its citizens 
alike, by the Eternal, so help us God !" 

With love for all and malice toward none. I am thine for the right. 

W. J. Maltby. 



OLDEN TIME MEMORIES. 



Letters from a Man \Vho Llced in Fort Sinilli Ncurlij Sixiij Years 

Ago. 



(Fort 8mith, Ark., Elevator, Scj)tendx-r 20, 15)05.) 
W. J. Weaver has received a letter from Jeff Maltby, a Fort 



146 NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS 



Smith boy, of whom the Dallas News recentl}^ published a sketch re- 
relating his history in Western Texas. Jeff has clone rough ricling and 
killed more wild Indians than Eoosevelt, Buffalo Bill or Kit Carson. 
He enlisted in Fort Smith for the Mexican war in Allen Woods and 
Fetch's company, fought through the campaign, and afterwards served 
as an escort for Paymaster Albert Sidney Johnston in his trips to 
the far western posts — Fortf Concho, Worth, Belknap, Arbuckle and 
Phantom Hill. There ■were many bad Indians on the southwestern 
frontier then, who made frequent raids on the western Texas settlers, 
scalped them and carried off' wonien and ebildren prisoners. These 
tribes were the Kiowas, Comanches, etc. They were desperate fighters 
and splendid horsemen. The Tonkaways were cannil;)als, and when 
they killed an enemy roasted and ate his legs and arms. Jeff then 
served through the Civil War with the C*onfederates. After the Civil 
War he served for some time as captain of a company of rangers, 
in the employ of the State of Texas, to protect the frontier counties 
from Indians and outlaws. Tlie letter is dated at Admiral, Texas, 
and is as follows : 

W. J. Weaver, Fort Smith, Ark. 

My Dear Old Friend : I was surprised and delighted to get your 
letter, and return thanks to God that we yet live and have been per- 
mitted to enjoy this privilege of correspondence. I am 76 years old 
and have had quite a checkered life, in some respects I have seemed 
to carry a charmed life. 

You know my Mexican war history. After that I was for six 
years in government employ on the frontier of Texas in various 
caj)acities — carpenter, wagonmaster, scout, dispatch bearer, teamster, 
hunter, etc. Like David Copperfield of old, I was a doer of odd Jobs for 
six years, after which, in 185G, I built a stage stand at Fort Clark 
to keep the men and mules that carried the United States mail 
from San Antonio to El Paso. In 1858 I rented out my premises to the 
mail company and went to Burnett, Texas, where I got married 
to one of God's noble helpmates to man and went to farming and 
stock raising, continuing scouting for Indians as the only way to save 
life and property. I followed this life up to the commencement of the 
Civil War, when I raised a company of men and joined the Seventeenth 
Texas Volunteer Infantry, C. S. A., served one year and was then 



NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS 147 



sent back to the frontier of Texas and put in command of a company 
of men to guard tlie frontier against Indians, bushwhackers, deserters, 
etc. I held this position until the close of the war, and was court- 
martialed for holding the position long after Lee's surrender. Since 
tliat time I have commanded several ranger companies, it is said with 
honor to the State and credit to myself, and I have never been hurt 
in any way. 

My wife is 67 years old, and we have had eight fine children. We 
are living in what is said to be the most pleasant home in Callahan 
County, Texas, where we have planted with our own hands all man- 
ner of fruits and flowers, and where we rest under our own vine 
and fig tree, quietly waiting for the call from the land of the leal, 
where I hope and expect to sit down and smoke the pipe of peace with 
the Indians that I liave assisted from this to their happy hunting 
grounds, and there, with all nations of this earth, fully recognize 
and acknowlege tlie universal Fatherhood of God and the Brother- 
hood of Man. Keiuember me kindly to all old-timers. 

With best wishes for your longer life and happiness, I am, your old 
friend, W. J. Maltby. 



FEU IT AM) TRUCK GROWING IN WEST TEXAS. 

(West Texas Sentinel, Abilene, Texas, Feb. 12, 1902.) 

Mr. President and Members of the Farmers' Institute of the Abilene 
Country : 



148 NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS 



I have been honored and requested l»y yonr honorable association 
to deliver an address or read a paper l)eforc yon, and the su])ject 
assigned to me, "The Ontlook for Gardening and Fruit Growing in 
the Abilene Country," is a subject of great magnitude and of vital 
importance to the growth, prosperity and greatness of my country. 
Tliere is no country that can ever be truly a great country whose vsoils 
and climate fails to respond l)ountifu]ly to tlie efforts of the tiller 
of soil when the proper propagation and cultivation is rightly applied. 

These words, "rightly applied," is some of the big clods that we 
clodhoppers run up against in all new countries, Avhich calls for 
farmers' institutes and experience meetings in good old cam])iuepting 
style, telling how the Lord liad l)les8ed their labors, etc. 

n^hese experience meetings, when properly appreciated and regu- 
larly attended, will soon make the barren and waste places blossom 
as the rose. "God made the tillers of the soil the beautifiers of the 
earth. His footstool " he was the last and crowning piece of creation 
and placed in the Garden of Eden to keep it and dress it. 

Mr. President, my invitation to address this meeting on the Out- 
look for Fruit Growing and Gardening, carries with it right to make 
suggestions. The Abilene country now has two of the greatest auxil- 
aries in the rapid devielopment of aigricailture and horticultiiire, 
which are the West Texas Fair and Farmers' Institute. 

The West Texas Fair should be supported and encouraged by 
every business man and farmer in the country, and I would suggest 
that the directors of the Fair employ the I'ight man and put him in 
the right place to encourage the farmers to get up exhibits of everything 
that grows in the county, and to visit every town and try to interest 
every business man to chip in and offer special premiums for all the 
'different products of merit that can be got together and exhibited 
at the West Texas Fair. There will be no trouble to get up ex- 
hibits that will compare favorably with any country, if we can 
only get the special premiums offered. The race horse comes in for too 
great a share in proportion to agriculture and horticulture. 

We know that the race horse is a drawing card, and the raising 
of fine stock should be encouraged to its fullest extent, commensurate 
with the products of the farm. The rains come and the winds blow 
and the race tracks are wiped out, but the farm and orchard are 



NEWSP&PER EXTRACTS 149 



living and abiding moniinieuts of their durability and sustaining 
qualities. 

The Farmers' Institute, like experimental stations, should be kept 
up, honored and encouraged. The adage that like begets like, holds 
good in agriculture as in anything else, for when one farmer finds 
out what variety of seeds to phint and what variety of fruit trees to 
plant and what nursery to get liis trees from, tiien his neighbors should 
follow his example, and if so his neighbor is benefited. 

And now, my brothers of the Farmers' Institute, ilic Bible tells UA 
that he that don't proviik; for his own liousehold has denied the 
faith, etc. We have within our household as noble, intelligent, hon- 
orable and scientific a lot of nurserymen as the world can produce; 
such as E. W. Kirkpatrick, T. V. Munson, John S. Kerr, F. T. 
Eamsey and others, who have spent years and years propagating 
and experimenting to get the best fruit of all varieties best adapted 
to our climate and soils. They can tell you how to select the location_ 
how to plant, how to prune, how to cultivate, and when your trees 
come to bearing, you have got just what they told you you would have. 

I believe I am considered the pioneer fruit grower in the Abilene 
country, and my sad experience with fruit tree agents has so com- 
pletely cut my eye teeth that if I were going to plant one or ten 
thousand trees, I would order them from E. "W. Kirkpatrick or T. V. 
Munson and pay them their price, before I would take the same 
number of trees from any nursery outside of the State as a gift. 
Tree planting should interest every business man and every house- 
holder in the country, and 1 bespeak a careful interest in what your 
gifted and experienced townsman, the Hon. Henry Sayles, has to say. 
His words should be treasure.l as "apjdes of gold in goblets of silver," 
and if so, they will be like grain lliat IVII on good soil and will bring 
forth a hundred fold. The |)lanting of trees and the making gf lovely 
and happy homes should be man's greatest object hero on earth. 
He should, if he is able to do so, i>lant everything that is pleasing 
to the eye, .fragrant to the smell and delicious It) the palate. This 
is the subject that seems to give us a stepping stone to that laud that 
is fairer than this, where we hoi)e to pluck and)rosial fruit from trees 
immortal grown. 

Mr. President, and gentlemen of the Institute, the subject that 



150 . NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS 



has been assigned to me is like space, it has no end and cannot be 
entered into in one short address, therefore I give way to some other 
gentleman that can interest yon more intelligently and profitably 
than I have. 

In conclusion let me say that agriculture and liorticulture have more 
civilizing and Christianizing influences surrounding them than any 
other occupation under the sun. Stock raising is the occupation of 
the barbarous and semi-barbarous nations of the earth. Manufacturers 
are the breeders of anarchism, alcoholism, poverty and crime. You may 
admire the stockman with his broad acres and his cattle grazing upon 
a thousand hills — you may admire the factory with its thousands 
of busy spindles, but what civilizing influences do they possess? But 
agriculture and horticulture are the handmaidens of religion, law 
and order everywhere, for who can stand beside the tree laden with its 
golden fruit, or the vine with its purple clusters, or the rose in its 
superlative loveliness, without worshipping the God that gave these 
gifts to man. 

Admiral, Texas. 



HOMES FOB THE PEOPLE AND WEALTH FOR THE STATE 

(West Texas Sentinel, Abilene, Texas, March 12, 1893.) 
Editor Sentinel: 

Under the above heading, in your issue of February 17th, you 



NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS 151 



published an article from ine on the scalp law, in which I made some 
bold and nnqualified assertions, and left all the gaps down and in- 
vited comments and criticisms, ,to which I took- as a text or quoted 
three passages of Scripture, to-wit: (1st.) In the multitude of coun- 
sel there is much wisdom. (2nd) Bread cast upon tli!ie waters will 
return after many days. (3rd) A time to all things. 

In the first place, I am })roud to know that buncombe speeches 
and Duncombe articles in newspapers don't go with men who claim 
to be in the middle of the road ; that h takes "brass tack" arguments 
to win, and that if a tiling is so why is it so. So I doff my hat in 
great respect to Bro. C. A. Clemmer for taking up the gauntlet that 
[ threw down. For agitation is the life of all things. We must ag- 
itate and tickle the soil with plow and hoe and it will ymile in corn 
and other useful and necessary products. So when the public mind 
is agitated on questions of importance it will smile in wisdom from 
a multitude of counsel. So Bro. C. can drive a tack here. 

Bro. C. said that I made one point — that The Sentinel was in 
the middle of the road; so we here drive a brass tack. As to my 
experience in getting the ropes on the worthless little kuss of a prairie 
dog, let me say that I have made and eaten many savory pot-pies 
out of the little kuss long before he made his appearance in the 
AI)ilene country, aiul 1 here offer to bind myself to make one or tens 
of thousands of traps at 10 cents each that can l)e handled by any 
yix-year-old l)oy or girl with perfect success, and be as durable as 
any other farm implement and not injure the scalp, hide or tallow. 
Those that are one-half or two-thirds grown are as good to eat as 
squirrels, the older ones, after being rendered, their meat can be 
fed to the pigs. So we will use the little fellow, lock, stock and 
barrel, and sing: Doggie, doggie, huah, huali, ah, huah. 0, my little 
doggie, huah, huah, liuah, hu or hey," and Bro. C. can drive a 
tack here. 

Their pelts will make the best quality of kid gloves, and that 
kind of leather is very scarce all over the world. They will not 
render as much oil as a fat 'b'^ar" in mast time, but we will make 
up in quality what we lack in quantity, as it is proven to be the 
finest machine oil for all classes, even the sewing machine, and we 
arc going to get 5 cents worth out of each "purp," and Bro, C. 
can drive a tack here. 



152 NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS 



Now, if there are fifty millions (which there are) of the worth- 
less little kusses and four of their pelts will make a pair of first- 
class kid gloves, and each one will render on an average 5 cents 
worth of the very best of oil, and that they can he trapped, pelted 
and rendered by children too small to do hard labor, and that the 
inventive genius of the American people can and will supply the 
means for his (the doggy's) successful capture, without poison; and 
that by the proper enactment of a scalp law as a basis or foundation 
to build upon their pelts and oil will come into demand and will 
be current money at all the stores in West Texas, and the money 
will be drawn from other and manufacturing States and put in 
circulation in Texas; which will make in the aggregate a richer mine 
for Texas than any named mine in California. After the multitude 
of counsel if this proves to be wisdom, a tack can be driven here. 

As to what Eastern and Southern Texas would say in regard to 
taxing them to pay for the scalps of the destructive animals of West 
Texas, my reply is that whatever is to the great interest of any 
large portion of the State is to the interest of the whole State. In 
proof, under Governor Coke's administration a battalion of Rangers 
was voted for and organized by the vote of all Texas, and for the 
protection of West Texas against the Indians, which has proven, 
after a multitude of counsel, to have been great wisdom. For if 
only viewed from a financial standpoint, the increase of taxation that 
we ha^.e drawn from other States has much more than paid all the 
cost; which was bread cast upon the waters which was returned after 
many days, and laany lives and much valuable property protected 
and the people made prosperous and happy. We will drive a tack 
bore. 

As it takes more space to answer a question than it does '^o a^k 
it, and as space in The Sentinel is valuable, "A time to all things," 
and "homes for tenant farmers," by permission of The Sentinel, will 
appear later on. Some brass tacks left, and gun loaded v/ith doggies 
and loaded for "b'ar." W. J. MALTBY. 

Reply. 
Putnam, Texas, February 27, 1893. 
Editor Sentinel : 



NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS 153 



SPEECH MADE BY CAPT. W. J. MALTBY TO THE CITI- 
ZENS OF HIS NATIVE COUNTY, SANGOMAN, AT THE 
CENTRAL ILLINOIS STATE FAIR, VIRGINIA, ILL., 
AUG. 6, 1891, AS TAKEN BY THE SHORT HAND 
REPORTER AND GIVEN TO US. 



Ladies and gentlemen and fellow countrymen of my nativity — We 
read away back in sacred history, where Moses sent out a horticultural 
deputation to view the land and to bring back samples of the fruits, 
so that the children of Israel could judge whether it was goodly 
land to immigrate to. The difference between that first horticultural 
deputation, and this Texas on wheels, of which I am a delegate is this : 
Moses sent out his deputation, whereas the people of the great State 
of Texas have sent their deputation to you with magnificnt cars laden 
with the grand products of the Lone Star State, and samples of her 
citizens. Governor Hubbard represents the acme of society, oratory 
and statesmanship, while I, your humble servant, represent the wild 
and wooly cowboy of the west, or the rare old plainsman of fiction, 
that went around with a sythe blade for a toothpick and a pistol eight 
or nine feet long, loaded witli a ball weighing anywhere between 
twenty-five and seventy-five pounds, with spurs and other accoutre- 
ments to match. Such, my friends, are the pictures drawn of Western 
Texas cow men, but, like all the pictures of Texas, they are overdrawn, 
all but the facts. 

Now, my friends, one of the facts connected with the exhibit 
is this: That I have no land for sale, and that I am not interested 
in any way, with any man or firm that has lands for sale, is one 



154 NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS 



reason that the people of Texas wanted me to come, and the other 
reason is my long residence in the State of Texas. 

PTaving seen the country settle np through its center from the 
Jled river to the Eio Grande, and the history of each county has been 
the same merged from stock raising to farming, and each farm has 
been capable of producing all the cereals, all tlie varieties of fruits, 
vines and vegetables ; and let me say to you that after having traveled 
over most of the States and Territories, that I believe Texas to be the 
l)est field for the investment of capital, the best for the homeseeker, 
the man with the hoe, to obtain cheap and fertile Tands. Our car 
arrived on your grounds yesterday, after a direct run from Denison, 
Texas. I was very tired and had a very refreshing sleep last niglit, 
and woke up this morning perfectly refreshed, and my mind wandered 
back all over my past life; how I had been a volunteer in the Mexican 
war of '46 and '47, and how I had been in the employment of the 
United States on the frontier as carpenter, teamster, scout, dispatcii 
bearer, etc. For seven years, from Eed River to the Rio Grande, out- 
side of the settlements, but was the home of the blood-thirsty, cruel 
savage Indian, that murdered in cold blood defenseless women and 
children, whenever the opportunity offered. When tlie war l^etween 
the States was fully inaugurated, I espoiised the cause of the South, 
for it Avas my home, and vent through tht war. After' the war 
1 followed the avocation of cowboy and Texas ranger until peace spread 
her white wings over the frontier of Texas. -I then beat my sword 
into a pruning hook and my pistol intt/ a plow share, and have 
since that time turned my attention to the peaceful pursuits of agri- 
culture and horticulture, in what is now known as the Abilene country 
of Texas. Go and inspect Texas on wheels and you will say: "Peace 
hath her victories, as well as war." 

And now, my countrymen, after going through what I have nar- 
rated to you, my heart melts in thankfulness to the giver of all 
good, that after a lapse of sixty years, I have been permitted to 
open my eyes in the land where they first saw the light, or the land 
of my birthplace. Has my life been spared to bring to you the 
glad tidings of the modern star of Bethlehem — the Lone Star of 
Texas? These productions of the earth are strictly specimens of the 
fertility of Texas soils. They were not sent to you by the people 
of Texas, asking you to sell out happy and comfortable homes. 



NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS 155 



unless you are perfectly satisfied that you can bettor the condition 
of yourself and family. We come to let you know that such a 
country as Texas does exist, that its people are la\v-al)iding and moral, 
that they welcome you to come, that your religion or politics will not 
debar you from the best society. But come to make two blades of grass 
grow where only one grew before, not expecting to gather grapes 
of thorns or figs of thistles, but expecting each tree and vine will 
bring forth fruit after its own kind, when properly cared for and 
planted. To all such we say: Come; we pledge to you a country 
where you can sit down under your own vine and fig tree, where 
none can or dare to molest. 

Texas rolled into Chicago Sunday night on wheels. It came in 
three large red railroad coaches, which were hauled along the Atchi- 
son, Topeka and Santa Fe tracks to Sixteenth street. There the 
three cars stood all day yesterday, blinding the vision of people that 
flashed by in passenger trains. Some time to-day the cars will be 
dragged further into the city and by to-night may be resting on 
the lake front if Stuyvesant Fish makes no objection. Yesterday old 
Capt. W. J. Maltby, who went into the Eio Grande country in 
1850, and for a long while commanded a troop of the State rangers 
along that ragged and reckless frontier, wrapped his arm around an ear 
of corn in one of the cars, and said, "Yes sub, we raise something 
in Texas now besides h — 1." Captain Maltby, after tumbling about 
with six-shooters on his hips for a quarter of a century, has now settled 
down on one of the farms he owns in the Abilene country, and is 
one of the famous and successful horticulturists and agriculturists in 
the big, sprawling State. The Capt'n has charge of the coaches of 
the Texas exhibit. The display is made by the Texas Real Estate 
Association and will be rolled around the country for a whole year. 
Col, W. B. Slosson, director and manager of the association, is in 
charge, and there are living with him on the coaches : Emigrant 
Agent T, A. Wilkinson, of the Rio Grande Railway ; ex-Governor R, B, 
Hubbard, who lectures on the exhibit; W, M. Fagle, the press agent, 
and W, E, Roberts, nephew and private secretary of the governor 
and advertising distributer. Captain Maltby is likewise on the red 
train and also all over it. 



156 NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS 



Something of Everything. 

There is everything in those ears. There are products from the 
Texas plains and the Texas penitentiaries; from the Texas fiekls and 
the Texas factories. The products are of this year's growtli, and con- 
tain specimens of corn, cotton, wheat, oats, rye, barley, walnut, white 
and red oak, hois d'arc, whatever that is, cedar, gum, dogwood, ash, 
holly, persimmon, plum,, pine, maple, water-live-oak, white hickory 
and slippery elm wood. Then there are grey granite, sandstone and 
limestone, hydraulic limestone, fire clay, lignite, vegetable marl, red 
and yellow ochre, brown laminate, brown hematite, coal, brick and 
vitrified or paving brick, iron ore from 40 to 67, mill iron, silver 
gray, mottled and car wheels. There are also articles representing 
the manufacture of leather and blankets, all the grades of cotton goods, 
flour, packing and canning house products. And right beside these 
ranged along through the cars are apples, peaches, pears, plums, 
grapes, quinces, beans, tomatoes, okra, onions, peppers, bananas, 
oranges, lemons, cucumbers and muskmelons. Captain Maltby has a 
muskmelon raised on his farm, which is three feet long and he doesn't 
brag on it either. He has it sealed in a Jar now. It was growing 
when he started but it grew so fast and furiously that the people on 
the car couldn't breathe. The Cap'n also had some growing grapes 
when the train left Galveston three weeks ago, but in coming out of 
Lincoln, 111., the other day, the colonel left the door open, th'^ 
vines ran out, wrapped themselve.- ai^v^ut the telegraph wires, and dur 
ing the electric shock v/hich the inhabitants of the car received, the 
vines grew so rapidly that they dragged the train back into Spring- 
field. 

"These hyah yeahs of cawn," said Captain Maltby yesterday, 
slapping a nig fat jar in one of the cars, "were raised by me down on 
my fahm in the Abilene country this spring. The first plat of six 
acres was planted March 15th, the second plat of six acres was 
planted April 1st; the third of six acres, April 15th: the fourth of 
s'lX acres. May 1st and the fifth of four acres. May 15th. Theah's nine 
varieties of large field com in that jah sidi, and I consider it the 
finest exhibit of cawn evah made. I didn't raise it for an exhibit, but 
just to keep up a succession of roastin' 3'eahs. The ground was 



NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS 157 

sod land, and wasn't cross-broke neitha, suh. It never was plowed 
I)ut twice, and then with an ordinary cultivator. Now this hyah yeah 
of cawn, suh," continued the captain, taking down a jar with a roasting 
ear in it that looked like a squash, "is the largest yeah of cawn in 
the world. I raised that myself, suh, and originated it. That 
sort of cawn in Texas is known as the Maltby cawn or the Abilene 
country nubbin. This yeah has thirty perfect rows on it and the grains 
are more than three quarters of an inch long. That's only second 
yeah cawn, suh, and ordinary cawn only has about eighteen rows to the 
yeah. Then these are nubbins." The captain plays with kernels of 
corn that might make a set of false teeth for a horse. These are just 
a few features of the exhibit with which these men are inviting 
the people from the northwest to Texas. 

New Ideas uf Texas. 

A stuffed tarpon, the largest game fish in the world, stares at their 
visitors from the door. This one is five feet eight inches long and 
weighs 110 pounds. This, too, is the largest tarpon ever caught that 
anybody knows of. It was hooked at Aransas Pass near Rockport. 
Then there is a pretty table of inlaid woods, exquisite in its workman- 
ship, and contains twenty-nine native Texas Avoods. It was made 
by a convict in the penitentiary, and contains 178,889 pieces of wood. 

The vividly painted cars are strung with mottos. Some of them 
say: 

Fifty dollar fine and imprisonment for carrying concealed weapons 
in Texas. 

One sheep ranch in Texas larger than the St^te of Rhode Island. 

No card playing in Texas. 

Taxes in Texas 20 cents on the $100. 

If reciprocity has thousands for Massachusetts it has millions 
for Texas. 

Out west is gone. Come to Texas. 

Texas laws are better inforced than any other State. 

The cars are covered with Texas scenes painted in oil. They will 
remain here eight days. Captain M'altby said there wasn't much 
liquor drank in Texas any more. — Chicago Herald. 



158 NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS 

The following letter complimentary to Capt. W. J. Maltby was 
received Friday : 



Petersburg, 111., Aug. 11, 1891. 
Messrs. H. Henderson and F. Bompart. 

My Dear Sirs : I wish to say in behalf of the "Texas Car Exhibit" 
(to which you and others have been and are still warm contributors) 
that the accession of my friend and old comrade, Capt. W. J. Maltby, 
of Callahan County, to our corps, was a most fortunate circumstance 
for all Texas. He is an old Texan and veteran; a soldier of the 
Mexican war and a gallant ranger and captain of one of our best 
companies during my administration as governor from 1876 to 1879, 
and since then, known throughout Texas as one of the most success- 
ful farmers and horticulturists in the famous Abilene country of 
AA'estern Texas. All these antecedents and qualifications make his of- 
ficial connection with these exhibits of "Texas on Wheels" a very 
winning card. The exhibit so far has been warmly welcomed and has 
excited great inquiry about our whole State. It Avill bear good fruit. 
I am glad of the opportunity of thanking the Abilene friends of 
the exhibit for sending us Captain Maltby. Yours truly, 

EicHARD B. Hubbard. 



Captain W. J. Maltby, of Abilene, an ex-captain of the State 
rangers, is with us, and is doing valiant service in the cause of 
Texas. He never fails to draw a crowd around him when recounting 
his early experiences in Texas, as contrasted with the present. The 
fact that he is a "sucker" gives him authority to speak by the book, 
and he is listened to with attention. He was born in Sangamon 
County, in this State, and to-day he is resting by the smiling waters 
of the Sangamon river, the first his eyes ever had sight of. 



NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS 159 



THEY WERE COMANCHE 8 AND K 10 WAS. 

Admiral, Texas, Jan. 1, 1903. 
Col. I. R. Hitt, Colorado City, Texas. 

Dear Sir : As per your request, I herewith give you a brief re- 
cital of my acquaintance and transactions with the Indians. Since the 
year 1836 to the year of 1876, in my early life, my lines were cast in 
close proximity to the five civilized tribes and almost daily from 1836 to 
1846 was among them, until I was perfectly familiar with them. In 
the year of 1849, I was employed by the acting quartermaster of 
the United States army at Fort Smith, Ark., in locating and hauling 
supplies to the different government posts, located in the Indian 
Nation and Texas, and was in such employ continuously for several 
years and while in such employment, I became acquainted with the 
friendly or the partly friendly tribes, to-wit: Caddos, Wacoes, Ton- 
queays, Lipans, Delawares, etc. 

In the year of 1852 or 1853 a man by the name of Stell or Snell 
made a treaty with the Comanches and Kiowas and set up a trading 
post on the Clear Fork of the Brazos river half way between the 
posts of Belknap and Phantom Hill, about forty miles from either 
post. Shortly after Stell or Snell had established his trading post 
and had got the aforesaid Indians to the number of 1000 to 2000 
t."> come in, I visited the camp or trading post in company with 
MaJ. Albert Sidney Johitston, who wa^s then pa^ymaster in the 
United States army and paid off the troops at the following posts, 
to-wit: Fort Crogan in Hamilton valley, Burnett County; Phantom 
Hill, Fort Belknap, Fort Graham and Fort Worth. Major John- 
ston remained in or at Snell's or Stell's trading post one day and night 
and I studied the Indians very close as they were markedly different 
in many respects to any Indians I had ever seen. They did not molest 
us in any way but let us leave them in peace, but had they known 
the treasure in gold and silver that Major Johnston had with him 
this letter never would have been written; in proof, some short 
time after they killed Mr. Agent, looted his camp and went back 



160 NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS 



to their former place and station. In 1855, Major Eough of the 
United States Eifle Corps w.as sent out to guard the road from Fort 
Clark to El Paso. I was sent with liim. We had a fight with the 
Muscalaries Apaches near Eagle Springs, and killed ten of them 
and piled them up in one pile, and there was a marked difference 
between them and the Indians that I saw at Snell's or Stell's trad- 
ing post in 1856. I quit the United States service and built a stage 
stand to keep the men and mules of the Overland Mail that ran 
from San Antonio to El Paso. My stand was at Fort Clark. One 
night the Indians came in and stole all the mail, mules and all 
the horses but one, and that one was mine, and a good one, which 
was soon saddled and mounted and the news carried to the com- 
manding officer at Fort Clark. He ordered a scout at once and wc 
took the trail north, pressed it hard for thirty or thirty— five miles, 
overtook them, had a fight with them, killed two of them, one of 
them being dressed in my clothes that he had stolen out of the washtub 
at Fort Clark. The guide or trailer on this occasion was an old 
Mexican that the Comanches had stolen when he was a boy, and 
they had made a slave of him for many years. He scalped the 
dead Indians; he said they were Comanches and he Avanted to get 
even with them for their many cruelties while he was their prisoner. 
They had the marks and peculiarities of the Indians that I saw 
at Stell's or Snell's trading post. In the year of 1857 I got married 
and settled in Burnett County and went to stock raising, and from 
that time on to 1876 was more or less in pursuit of Indians and in 
that number of years I necessarily saw some dead ones and live ones, 
and I pronounce all that I saw the same Indians that Stell or Snell 
had made the treaty with, and he said they were Comanches and 
Kiowas. In the spring of 1874 the State of Texas raised and equip- 
ped a battalion of State rangers. 1 raised and commanded one of 
the companies. ]\Iy post of duty was over the counties of Brown. 
Coleman, Callahan, Eunnels, Taylor, Tom Green, etc., and in the 
first six months of my service I had six separate engagements with the 
same tribes of Indians that I saw in or at Stell's or Snell's trading 
post. 

x\sk any old settler that you come in contact with if he had ever seen 
or heard of the Big Foot Indian that made the big tracks for many 



NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS 161 

years over the counties of Burnett, Lampasas, Llano, Mason, San 
Saba, Coleman, Brown, etc. I myself, as one of a party have rim 
or trailed him many times before the Civil War, many times during 
the Civil War, and on and on till the summer of 1874, when with 
my ranger company we met him and his band in Runnels County 
and the ranger charge was made in which the noted Big Foot 
Indian fell and an old war scarred veteran of sixty or sixty-five years 
was Uiortally wounded, and fell into our hands. I speak the Mexi- 
can language and I had a Mexican in my company that spoke good 
English. The old wounded Indian spoke good Mexican and he 
seemed to be willing and anxious to talk. My men stood around while 
myself and Mexican Joe questioned him. 

He said that he was a Comanche and his name was Jape or Japoe, 
that Big Foot, the dead lirave was a Kiowa chief, and that they had 
left Fort Sill four or five days before. He said that he or they 
had raided the settlements for many years, and that the many scars 
on his person were made by white men in the settlements. He said 
he helped to kill Wafford Johnson and family on Dog Branch, 
Burnett County, the Blalock or Whitlock family near Llano County, 
the Todd family in Mason County, and last. Bill Williams' family in 
Brown County, in 1874. 

He said that they had carried one of Bill Williams' girls away 
off and hung her to a tree, which proved to be as he stated. 

The way we put the questions to him in regards the killing of the 
different families and his answers led us all to believe at the time 
that he helped to do it all, as he could give the direction, the distance, 
the locations and the leng-tb of time, number killed, etc. He an- 
swered every question as readily as he could, but one, and that was. 
the name of his Big Foot Chief. He said that he was a Kiown 
jhief but his name he would not tell. 

We killed Indians of the same tribes while in this service at 
different times and they all had nice red blankets branded U. S. 
Truly vours, W. J. Maltby. 



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